Seven
by Orithyea
Summary: High School AU. In Namimori High, there's a group of good-looking teens called Vongola. Any person who asks them on a date gets a chance to go out with them for a week. Tsuna likes Kyoko, but Kyoko likes Hibari who is part of the said group. /1827/ hints of 6927, R27, and 8059.
1. The Vongola

**Title: **Seven

**Rating: **T

**Genre: **Romance/General

**Summary: **AU. In Namimori High, there's a group of good-looking teens called Vongola. Any person who asks them on a date gets a chance to go out with them for a week. Tsuna likes Kyoko, but Kyoko likes Hibari who is part of the said group. /1827/

**A/N: **Inspired by anonabella's _Seven Day Story_ in the fandom Axis Powers: Hetalia.

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**_Seven_**

Orithyea

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**Chapter 1: The Vongola**

It hurt. All the punches and kicks he had today was excruciating. But he was used to it, and no one even cared about him. Whining won't help, he knew that of course.

Tsuna groaned as he lightly touched his bruises. Today's beating hurt like hell in comparison to his other beatings. Mochida, a senior, was dumped by his girlfriend, frustration built up and a certain brunet served as a perfect outlet of anger for him.

Standing up, he leaned on the wall for support. His beating took place at the back of the school and no one ever helped him. After all, the entire school must have all thought of how piteous Dame-Tsuna is. Tsuna shook his head, head down, he started to walk back inside.

"Tsuna-kun!"

Said person whipped his head, greeted by the face of his best friend. "A-ah, Kyoko-chan." He blushed.

Kyoko stomped her way towards him. "Not again! Who was it this time? Kaneda? Oshikiri? Takada? Ooyama? Mochida? Ooh, when I see those guys I'm going to ask onii-san to beat them up. They have absolutely no right to do this. Absolutely no right!" she ranted as she placed Tsuna's arm on her shoulder.

Despite his injuries, Tsuna can't help but think of his fortune. He certainly was lucky to have a great friend, and that was it - a friend.

The brunet ignored Kyoko's continuous ranting and stared at her face, a smile quickly made his lips curve. His friend's beauty was a parallel to no other girls in his school, heck, maybe even in the entire Namimori. There was never a day when he had thought that his feelings for the brunette would ever change, but alas, he can never confess for fear of losing his friendship. He knew there was no chance that his feelings were reciprocated; he was pathetic, useless, clearly had no talent in anything, and his stupidity was beyond anyone can endure.

Dame-Tsuna.

He was so into his thoughts that he failed to notice that Kyoko was now talking to him. He blushed. "S-Sorry, Kyoko-chan. What did you say?"

The petite girl fixated her eyes on his. Frowning, she stopped walking and glared fiercely at him. "I. Am. Going. To. Beat. Up. Those. Guys."

Tsuna shivered at her words, but ironically, he also felt proud. It was only him that had seen this side of Sasagawa Kyoko, Namimori's Idol, and he loved that fact. She was perfect. Good grades, kind, sweet, talented, and very easy to get along with, most of the male population craved to date her, almost all girls desired to be like her. It was no mystery why Tsuna fell in love with her, they had known each other since the first year of Middle School, making it four years since they had first met.

"You don't have to, Kyoko-chan. T-They'll stop," he whispered as he added, "hopefully."

Kyoko sighed. "You've said that for how many years already, Tsuna-kun. They don't stop. You have to act, you don't deserve this."

"I can't fight back. I'm weak and stupid and -"

"You're not weak and you're definitely not stupid." Kyoko gently placed her hands on his cheeks. "You are one of the greatest guys I have ever met, Tsuna-kun. You're nice and care for others so much. You hate seeing others get hurt that's why you prefer that it's you who gets hurt. Amazing, that's what you are, Tsuna-kun. I wish you'd stop feeling so down on yourself."

Was this a cue? Tsuna wondered giddily. Maybe he could confess here and now. If these were Kyoko's thoughts of him, maybe her feelings for him were the same as his?

His hope was crushed when he heard her next words.

"Tsuna-kun! It's Vongola. Look, look!" She pointed frantically at their direction.

Following the direction she indicated, he saw the Vongola. Five extremely handsome men who excelled in different specialties. All of them were seniors except for two who were a year younger than the seniors, and both were Tsuna's classmates.

Hayato Gokudera, half-Italian, silver-haired teen, emerald eyes, and very easily angered. He was quite well known in school for his short temper. A teen who was very academically gifted, but had a very colorful vocabulary.

Yamamoto Takeshi, Japanese, black-haired, brown eyes, a happy-go-lucky guy. Famous for his cheerful personality and for being the star of the baseball team. He remained unrivaled in terms of baseball skills.

Rokudo Mukuro, Italian, indigo pineapple-styled hair, heterochromatic eyes, sly and clever in many ways. Notable for his gentlemanly ways in several aspects that made girls swoon and drool at his feet.

Reborn, Italian, raven hair and eyes, a mysterious man. Reputable for always wearing his fedora and his techniques in flirting with both the male and female population of their school. He had a pet chameleon which was named Leon.

Finally, the person Tsuna disliked, Hibari Kyouya, Japanese, onyx-haired, cold steel eyes, a very dangerous man. He was the prefect of the Discipline Committee of the school. Also very renowned for his ways in said 'disciplining' of the students. He hated crowding and loathed weaklings which he deemed as herbivores.

And Kyoko's love interest.

Tsuna pouted. He will never understand why his best friend was crazy about the scary prefect. He was very violent, often beat up trouble-makers or any person who violated the rules. Being in the presence of other people sickened him, and Tsuna could not help but think on how he could hang-out with the other Vongola members. Especially Mukuro. The two seemed to fight like cats and dogs everyday, frequently being seen at each other's throats.

"S-Sorry, Tsuna-kun! I was distracted for a while." Kyoko blushed. "Let's get you to the infirmary first. And hopefully I could.." She glanced back at the group, eyes following a certain boy.

"It's alright, Kyoko-chan. I'll be fine."

"No, no! Let's go to the infirmary. Your injuries look really bad." Lovestruck, Kyoko smiled despite the circumstances. Tsuna looked annoyed but decided to hide it.

* * *

"Sawada, years have passed and some things just don't change, do they?" The nurse sighed.

Wincing, Tsuna allowed the nurse to dab the sterilizing-filled cotton on his wounds. His scratches stung like crazy. Tsuna resisted the urge to slap the nurse's hand away but chose to just brush it off and endure it.

Looking at his friend, the brunet couldn't help but sulk at Kyoko's expression. She had a small smile painted on her pretty face and a glimmer in her eyes, a glimmer of happiness. It was the result of seeing Hibari Kyouya. He had already decided that he wanted his best friend to be happy. Fathoming that she wanted to be with the scary prefect was one thing he had already done.

The nurse stood up from her chair, giving Tsuna one last thorough look before she spoke, "Alright, Sawada, you're done. Just make sure this doesn't happen again, got it? You may go back to your classes."

Nodding, Tsuna thanked the nurse and proceeded to walk out of the room, Kyoko followed suit with a little skip in her steps, not unnoticed by her friend. The walk back to the classroom was not that long. Tsuna slid the door open and mentally prepared himself for the morning insults, not even Kyoko could stop them from making fun of him, no matter how much she tried to talk with them. When they both entered the room, Kyoko was greeted with endless good mornings and asks of where she had been. Apparently, the second period teacher was absent, everyone had been using the time for their personal stuff. Tsuna stood stiff, ignored.

Walking to his chair, a foot was suddenly stretched. Tsuna gave his little shriek and plundered down on the floor face first. He moaned, his face recently just bandaged; the weight added salt to the injury. The people around him snickered. Ah, the occasional bullying. He was about to stand up when a hand appeared in front of him. Glancing up, he was quite surprised to see a worried face, and one of the least person he expected to act like this towards him.

"You alright?" the raven-haired teen asked, still holding out his hand.

Tsuna hesitated to grab the hand, he could see his classmates whispering around them. His classmate, unwilling to wait any further, grabbed the brunet's hand and helped him stand up. Tsuna's stance wavered a little, but nonetheless was able to stand upright. Nervously, he said, "I-I'm fine, Y-Yamamoto-san. T-Thank you f-for helping m-me."

"That was a nasty fall. Who tripped you?" Yamamoto glared at the other students.

Feeling the nasty glares of his classmate, Tsuna knew he was being warned to keep his mouth shut. "N-No one, Y-Yamamoto-san. I was just really c-clumsy. He, he." Laughing awkwardly, he could now feel the glares easing up.

Yamamoto smiled. "Oh, is that so? Be careful next time." The teen scrutinized the brunet. "You have lots of bandages. What happened?"

Tsuna felt himself inwardly panic, he wouldn't tell on anyone. Anyway, if he told Yamamoto, the teen would just get disgusted at his uselessness, and the bullying would only worsen. He shook his head. "I j-just tripped. Thank you again, Y-Yamamoto-san." Wobbling back to his chair, he released a sigh of frustration and buried his face on the table.

The creaking of a chair made him look up, once more he saw Yamamoto smiling at him. He pushed the chair in front of Tsuna's table, still smiling while he sat. "I thought maybe we could talk and stuff."

Surprised, the injured teen frantically looked left and right, finally, he gaped at Yamamoto and pointed at himself. "E-Eh?"

His actions made the other laugh. Nodding, Yamamoto responded, "I'm talking to you, Tsuna. Oh, it's alright if I call you Tsuna, right?"

Tsuna looked at Yamamoto as if he grew two heads. No one had ever bothered to talk to him except for Kyoko, and except when people want to either bully him or make fun of him, and he certainly did not expect one of the most popular guys in school to speak with him. "I-It's alright, Yamamoto-san."

"Just Yamamoto is fine. You can also call me Takeshi if you'd like." The baseball star beamed. "We're friends now!"

_W-Why is he acting so friendly to me, _Tsuna nervously wondered, the menacing stares his classmates gave him were becoming more hostile. Gulping, he'd expect no less than three beatings today. If he was lucky, he could hide out somewhere and skip the rest of his classes. Stopping his musings, he faced back reality, a part of his brain wanted Yamamoto to leave him alone, another part wanted him to stay for the reason that no one seemed to make fun of him with him around. Tsuna gulped. "Yamamoto-kun then."

Yamamoto pouted, Tsuna could swore he heard some girls squealing behind him. "I would've preferred Takeshi, but that's fine too!"

Feeling awkward, the brunet suddenly found his desk interesting, he twiddled his fingers, waiting for some miracle to fix the silence that ensued. The bell rang, students started to fix their things. Yamamoto too followed suit. Standing up, he placed the chair properly back to the desk in front of Tsuna's. "Want to eat lunch together?" The Vongola member grinned.

That certainly surprised Tsuna. His lunch break only involved either being beat up or hiding away from the bullies, he would've spent his lunch with Kyoko, but the thought of staining her reputation didn't really appeal to him. Not seeing the harm in it, Tsuna smiled and decided to just go on with it. "S-Sure. I'd love to."

"Great! See you later." Beaming, Yamamoto returned back to his own desk.

The brunet let his eyes follow the baseball player's back until he had sat down. With eyebrows furrowed, he wondered if Yamamoto was just fooling him with his friendliness. Sighing, he scratched his head, thinking wasn't one of his fortes, not that he believed he had any, and buried his face on his table.

A few seconds had passed when he felt a hand continuously tap him. Tsuna ignored the hand after muttering unintelligible words. The hand kept on tapping him. Tsuna groaned, "Five more minutes, mom." He heard a hearty laugh. Immediately, he shot up from his desk. "Yamamoto-kun!"

"Wow. You slept for two periods straight, you must be really tired. It's lunch already."

Tsuna's caramel orbs widened. Glancing at his watch, he gasped slightly at the time. It was noon already. It was lunch and he was still inside the classroom. Roaming his eyes warily, he looked at the room to find Takada glaring at him. _Another beating_, he winced inwardly.

"Grab your lunch, Tsuna. We always eat at the rooftop."

_Oh, right. Yamamoto invited me to lunch. And if I eat together with him, no one will bully me, _Tsuna thought. Hastily, he fumbled in his bag for his bento. Upon getting it, Yamamoto beamed and began to lead him to their destination.

As they walked in the corridors, Tsuna felt uneasily as he noticed the stares of the people. Yamamoto was still grabbing his wrist, and he could hear the whispers of the people.

"Why is Dame-Tsuna with Takeshi-kun? He doesn't even deserve to be in the same class as he is much less to look at him."

"That idiot with our Takeshi-sama? How dare he!"

"I know right. Sawada will definitely pay for this. Takeshi-kun's hand must be stained with Dame-Tsuna's stupidity."

Tsuna closed his eyes, _Don't worry, Tsuna. You're used to this, right? Ignore them, ignore them, ignore them, _he chanted. When he opened his eyes, what first fell in his sight was Yamamoto's face that held an expression indescribable to him, and the door that led to the rooftop. He raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Is there anything wrong, Yamamoto-kun?"

"Just ignore them, all right?" Yamamoto softly smiled.

"Wha-" Tsuna started, but cut himself off as the raven-haired shouted:

"Oy, guys! I brought a friend."

_Ignore who? His friends? Oh, no. He didn't mean my bullies, right? Dear god, he knows, _he panicked, _Would he ignore me? Treat me like them? Or is he different? He told me to ignore them, maybe just maybe, he cares about me? _Tsuna scratched his untamable hair and returned back to reality. Gasping, he saw the other Vongola members, sitting on the rooftop. _Hieee! I'm really an idiot. I didn't think that Yamamoto-kun's friends would be the rest of the Vongola. Crap. crap. crap. crap._

"Come on, Tsuna! They may look like they bite, but they're really nice." Yamamoto sat beside a silver-haired teen who glared at him.

Hesitantly, he took small steps towards the group. The silver-haired teen turned his attention towards him. "Oy! Can't you walk faster than that? You're walking like a damn turtle."

Tsuna paled. "I-I-I'm s-s-sorry. I-It's just t-that Y-Yamamoto-kun didn't t-tell me t-that y-you would be h-here," he squeaked.

"You wanted to be alone with baseball idiot here? You're gay?" Gokudera raised an eyebrow.

"Kufufu, stop intimidating the poor rabbit."

Tsuna spotted the bicolored eyed man. The brunet could feel his entire body trembling. "N-No! T-That's not what I-I meant. I-I don't want to be w-with you g-guys. Hieee! That came out wrong. I m-mean I-" Tsuna felt the wind pass by him. He looked backwards and blanched at the sight of a fork pierced through the door.

"Shut up and sit down," the fedora-wearing senior said, not even sparing a glance at him.

Gulping, Tsuna slowly walked towards the group. He looked for a place where he could sit, luckily, Yamamoto patted the space beside him. "Here, sit here."

Tsuna sat down, finding it awkward that he was sitting between Yamamoto and the pineapple-haired teen. The latter smiled at him, which scared Tsuna because the smile he wore looked totally creepy. He attempted to smile back, but utterly failed. Getting scared, Tsuna inched closer to Yamamoto.

"Oya? I'm not going to eat you, little rabbit, although you do look delicious." The teen licked his lips, teasingly inching his hand closer slowly.

Tsuna flinched. "Hieee!" Straightaway, he clamped both of his hands over his mouth, cheeks blushing furiously. Four pairs of eyes were looking amusingly at him. _Well, that was a great first impression._ Tsuna thought bitterly.

"That has got to be the girliest shriek I have ever heard." Gokudera sneered, though lips slightly curved up. Yamamoto was laughing out loud. The fedora-teen continued eating, eyes covered by the hat. Mukuro was chuckling lightly.

"Kufufu. Well, don't you have a nice voice." Mukuro said, amusement filled his voice. "Makes me want to bite you more." He scrunched his nose, "Disgusting. I sound like the school-obsessed freak. My tongue has been tainted. Wouldn't you like to clean it, my little rabbit?" Mukuro huskily whispered in Tsuna's ear.

"No!" Pushing the teen away, Tsuna scrambled to stand up and ran towards the door, wishing to get back to the room. _What's with that crazy pervert! I thought the rumors about him were just exaggerated, but I shouldn't have thought it was false. Ugh. _His hand had landed on the silver doorknob, about to turn it over, he heard a voice that he was not very well fond of.

"Rokudo Mukuro, what do you think are you doing?" A raven-haired teen jumped down from above Tsuna.

Mukuro smugly smiled. "I believe you have eyes, prefect-san, or has your stupidity reached its peak?"

The prefect whipped out his silver rods and shoved it at Mukuro's throat. "I will bite you to death."

Looking thoughtful, Mukuro responded, "I'd love to, but you're not exactly my type." He jumped away as Hibari slashed the tonfa at him.

When Mukuro jumped again, Tsuna could have sworn the two held a serious killing aura. His instincts acted against his own will. The brunet hurdled towards Hibari and grabbed his black jacket. "S-Stop! He didn't do anything wrong. Stop fighting!" Tsuna shouted at the violent skylark.

Hibari froze in his tracks, slowly facing the small brunet. He glared menacingly at him. "You dare touch me, herbivore?"

The brunet's eyes widened. "Uhm. E-Eto. S-S-Sorry, H-H-Hibari-san. P-Please don't b-bite me to d-death!" Tsuna used both of his arms as cover, whimpers leaving his mouth. He waited for the fated steel rods only to be met with none. After a while, he put his hands down and looked at the prefect. "Eh?"

"Don't scare the rabbit too much."

Tsuna looked up to see Reborn laying a hand on Hibari's shoulders. The latter glared at him and shook the teen's hand away. The bell rang. "There goes lunch and the rabbit hasn't even finished his food yet." Reborn smirked. "Come eat together with us tomorrow, little rabbit." With that, the raven-haired teen walked away and went down the stairs. The other members followed suit, minus Hibari who suddenly disappeared.

_I don't think I'd want that, _Tsuna sighed, _Would there be a day where I can just relax and enjoy? _Tsuna sighed once more and hurriedly went down. When he turned around the hallway, he was surprised to see Kyoko leaning on the wall. "Kyoko-chan? What are you doing here?"

Kyoko gazed down and fidgeted, taking a while to answer. When she looked at Tsuna, her cheeks were tainted with a light pink dust. "T-Tsuna-kun, I heard you had lunch with the Vongola."

_Rumors do fly fast. _"Yeah. Yamamoto-kun invited me-"

"CanyouaskHibari-senpaitomeetme?"

"What?"

Kyoko took a deep breath and repeated, "Can you ask Hibari-senpai to meet me?"

_Oh. _Tsuna forcefully smiled, "Sure, Kyoko. I'd ask him."

"Thank you, Tsuna-kun! You have got to be the bestest friend I ever had." Kyoko engulfed him in a hard hug. She walked away happily, a dreamy look left on her face.

"For Kyoko-chan." Tsuna said.

_For Kyoko-chan._

* * *

**E/N: **And then this happened. Updates are spontaneous. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Review? c:


	2. The Unfavored Favor

Thank you,

**iNeed Fanfiction, animebaka14, p0l-anka, Nel, msseyren, khRfan12, AnonymousAuthor13, XxMariachanxX, Meeee.**

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**_Seven_**

Orithyea

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**Chapter 2: The Unfavored Favor**

Words cannot describe how surprised Tsuna was the next day. He was still in perfect shape, except for his bruises yesterday, but nonetheless, there were no fresh ones today. Tsuna sat down on his chair, looking warily at his classmates. When he had opened the door, the entire room became quiet and kept stealing glances at the brunet. Tsuna wondered what had happened for them to all of a sudden act like this. Well, they were treating him as if he wasn't there, but it was better than getting beat up.

Sighing, Tsuna placed both of his hands on his desk and leaned his head over it. The whispers of his classmates easily reached his ears, though not the exact words. The brunet's curiosity was beginning to overwhelm him. He contemplated on whether or not to muster up his courage to ask someone. The probability of getting sneered at or ignored were high nevertheless it was all or nothing. He was about to stand up when Kyoko came in the room. Like the usual routine it was, she was showered with morning greetings and smiles. Kyoko caught his eye and smiled. She walked over to him and greeted him._  
_

"G-Good morning to you too, Kyoko-chan." Tsuna could see the eyes of his classmate follow his best friend. Some glared at him, a few rolled their eyes, and the others plainly ignored them and continued whatever they were occupied with.

"Ne, Tsuna-kun," the brunette said, fidgeting. "Is it true that you're having lunch with them again? Ah, e-eto, I just heard from the others."

_So that's what they were talking about, _Tsuna groaned. "Yes, Kyoko-chan."

"T-Then about Hibari-senpai...," Kyoko trailed off. The blush on her cheeks proved the next words she wanted to state. Tsuna caught the message.

"Don't worry, Kyoko-chan, I'm going to ask him later, okay?" He smiled. His mind begged to differ, as if wanting to scream how he truly felt.

"Thanks a lot, Tsuna-kun." The petite girl smiled brightly.

...

The morning classes swiftly passed by. Tsuna noticed that Yamamoto and Gokudera weren't even in the class. Tsuna pondered if they were absent, if they were, then lunch would be doubly awkward after what happened yesterday. After all, it was only Yamamoto who he was able to speak casually with, and that was with thorough effort. The thought of being in their presence still didn't enter the teen's mind, even with all the rumors flying about.

When the lunch bell rang and there were still no sign of the two, Tsuna's mind was screaming to not spend lunch with the Vongola. But it was Reborn who had told him to eat together again. The older teen sent shivers down his spine. His aura spoke of intimidation, which Tsuna was clearly affected by, and then there was Kyoko's request. He could never turn her down.

Deciding to just go ahead with it, Tsuna took two bentos out of his bag. He brought the extra one to share with the others, as a way of saying thanks and as an apologetic offering. The ruckus yesterday seemed pretty normal to the group, it was only he who had overreacted.

Tsuna made his way to the rooftop, aware of Kyoko's gaze following him. He swore, he accepted, he wanted her to be happy. That was love, right?

Tsuna sighed for the nth time. There he was, standing in front of the door that once opened, he would have no ideas on what could happen next. Gulping, he pushed the door open. The entire Vongola was complete, even Yamamoto and Gokudera who didn't appear in the classes earlier were there. Tsuna spotted a gap between his two classmates, he took that as a sign that it was where he was supposed to sit. His thought was confirmed when Yamamoto said to sit beside him. Tsuna complied.

"Kufufu. I am quite happy to see you today, my little rabbit." Mukuro purred.

"Mukuro, you should stop teasing Tsuna." Yamamoto eyed him seriously.

"Well, if he wants to be stopped being called a rabbit then he should just introduce himself." The silveret rolled his eyes.

Tsuna paled. Right. Here he was a random second-year student having lunch with the school's most famous teens and he hadn't even bothered to introduce himself. "Y-Yes. My name is Sawada Tsunayoshi, but most of the people call me Tsuna." _Dame-Tsuna, _Tsuna thought bitterly. "I-I'm from class 2-C. It's a p-pleasure to meet you!" He bowed at his last words.

Laughing, Yamamoto patted the brunet's back. "Maa, no need to be so formal, Tsuna! My name's Yamamoto Takeshi. I'm in the baseball team and I'm also from class 2-C."

"I'm pretty sure he knows that, baseball-idiot." Gokudera rolled his eyes once more. He added, "Gokudera Hayato. Why did this moron even bring you here? Tch."

"Rokudo Mukuro at your service, my rabbit." Mukuro winked.

"Just call me Reborn," the member with the fedora said.

Tsuna glanced at Hibari, waiting for him to speak, which was not necessary at all since he knew him already. But still, it was kind of a tradition to introduce yourself. Yamamoto must have thought the same because he spoke out loud, "Ne, Hibari, it's your turn."

"The herbivore already knows my name."

"But everyone did it. You should too."

"Are you ordering me around?"

"Maa, maa. You're just going to say your name."

If looks could kill, Yamamoto would have died already. Hibari was glaring at him as if he wanted to kill him. Tsuna wondered if Yamamoto was sick in the head or his mind never thinks straight. How could he answer Hibari like that? Surely he must be craving for a death wish. The smile on the baseball player's face didn't leave, so Tsuna continued to wonder if Yamamoto really was sick in the head.

Tsuna thought that Hibari was going to take out his tonfas and beat the crap out of Yamamoto. It does seem impossible for anyone to answer back to the prefect, unless they want to spend a few years in the hospital. Contrary to his anticipation, Hibari simply said, "Hibari Kyoya."

"See?" Yamamoto grinned widely. "It wasn't so hard, right?"

"I'm going to bite you to death."

Yamamoto just laughed off the venomous threat as if it was nothing. Tsuna glanced panically at the other members, only to be greeted with the normal practice of eating their bentos. _Why am I still surprised? _Tsuna unknotted the blue cloth that encased his bentos and opened the two. The insides were quite extravagant. Perfect-looking onigiris lay horizontally on the edge of the box, sashimi were rowed beside the riceballs, there were vegetables at the side and delicious looking meat that conquered at least two-fifth of the entire box.

Tsuna could see the others' eyes looking at his lunch. Even Reborn and Hibari seemed interested. Tsuna smiled. His mother's cooking was one of the finest in the entire town. The heavenly aroma of her finished products could make people literally drool. It was no mystery why even the most stoic person Tsuna has ever met in his life would be intrigued.

"Uh, you guys can go ahead and get some since I'm i-intruding and all," Tsuna said, meekness evident in his voice.

"Wow, Tsuna. You didn't have to," Yamamoto said. "I invited you - well, it was Reborn who invited you the second time, but you're not intruding." He said while getting a piece of the meat. Yamamoto slowly chewed it first, when he swallowed it, his nose scrunched up in an emotion Tsuna could not perceive. The brunet was about to ask the taste when Yamamoto suddenly grinned widely. "This is so delicious! Who made this, Tsuna?"

The addressed person answered with pride, "My mom."

The indigo-haired teen also grabbed a piece of meat, curious of the taste. As if imitating the his fellow member's actions, he chewed the food slowly. Despite being afraid of the teen, courtesy of his previous actions, Tsuna watched, wanting to see his reaction. "Delightful. But I'd rather have your cooking, little rabbit," Mukuro purred.

Tsuna was indeed very grateful for the fact that he sat between Gokudera and Yamamoto. The perverted teen brought chills up and down his spine. In an attempt to cut off Mukuro from his mind, Tsuna asked Yamamoto, "B-By the way, Yamamoto-kun. Why were you and Gokudera not in the classroom earlier? I thought you were both absent."

It was Gokudera who answered, "That idiot didn't do his literature assignment. We spent all morning finishing it," he ended with a glare toward said idiot.

"Wow. That's really nice, Gokudera-kun. You and Yamamoto-kun must be so close, ne?" Tsuna smiled. _I never had friends like those._

"Who would want to be close with that idiot?" Gokudera growled.

Surprised by the response, Tsuna created some distance between him and the silveret. "E-Eh? T-Then why did you do that? It must be because you're close, right?"

Gokudera turned his head sideways. Tsuna couldn't see his expression. "Because I get to have free sushi. That's it, okay?"

"Hayato is really nice. He's helped me a bunch of-"

Gokudera punched Yamamoto in the arm. Tsuna was surprised at the sudden attack, not to mention the fact that he was at their center and Gokudera's hand came whizzing in front of him. He observed his face, which was lightly tainted with pink. "Shut up, idiot."

Deciding to stop prying, Tsuna candidly continued eating. He noticed Hibari and Reborn were silently eating whilst Mukuro was texting on his phone, a smirk or two here and there. Caramel orbs came back to the prefect. Lunch was about to end, he needed a time to talk with the raven-haired teen. Cold grey eyes unexpectedly met his. Tsuna almost dropped his chopsticks in astonishment. Quickly, the brunet gawked at his food as if it was the most interesting thing in the world.

The loud noise of the bell erupted in the air. The two beside Tsuna stopped arguing about something. Tsuna took it that this usually happened, despite their constant arguments, they apparently seemed close despite the silveret's denial. Everyone fixed up their bentos, minus Hibari who was busy staring at the other four. _Must be making sure everything's clean, _Tsuna thought. Once they were done, they bade their greetings and hurried down the stairs.

Once at the door, Yamamoto shouted, "Hey, Tsuna. Let's go already!"

Right, they were in the same class. Tsuna panicked, he needed to speak first with Hibari. "G-Go ahead! I'm fine." Yamamoto looked at him with a questioning gaze but simply nodded and disappeared. It was only him and Hibari on the roof now. Tsuna gulped, trying to muster up his courage. It wasn't for himself that he was going to talk, but he was still afraid of this man.

"You'll be late for class, herbivore."

Tsuna snapped out of his reverie. If he was late, he'd get bitten to death. It was now or never. He didn't think that he'd be able to speak with Hibari again next time. "H-Hibari-senpai." Tsuna felt his grey eyes bore on him. "Can y-you meet up tomorrow after school?" _Please say yes, please say yes, _Tsuna kept repeating his inner mantra. Hibari raised an eyebrow. To Tsuna, it felt like hours until he nodded.

Tsuna felt free, as if a huge weight was lifted from his shoulders. Standing up, Tsuna smiled brightly at the prefect. "Thank you, Hibari-senpai. See you tomorrow!" Tsuna ran back to his classroom, feeling giddy. He had done Kyoko a huge favor. She would be ecstatic once she knew of tomorrow. It was her chance to date the prefect.

Oh.

Tsuna stopped running. He felt his heart sink in melancholy. His only friend and crush might be taken away from him. Should he have done this, he had begun to question his earlier actions. His thoughts made him slap himself. If Kyoko was happy, then he's happy, that was what he believed. Right now, he should support her just as she had supported him.

Little did Tsuna know that the next seven days would turn his world upside-down.

* * *

**E/N: **Thank you for the support! c: I didn't expect to update so fast, ha ha.


	3. The Confusion

Thank you very much,

**Nel, CrimsonSkyTamer, ziraulo, KhRfan12, NFGdP, FallenxLinkin, Meeee, ben4kevin, delcielosintonia, Iuvenor, Ghostdragon101, animebaka14, Emriel, Honoka-chan, Guest, janeseA.**

* * *

**_Seven_**

Orithyea

* * *

**Chapter 3: The Confusion**

The first thing Tsuna felt when he woke up was remorse. Yesterday, when he had told Kyoko that she would be able to meet her love interest, she smiled so brightly, thanking her best friend over and over again for the favor he had done. Nodding his head, Tsuna only managed to wish her luck. Her eyes kindled with clear ecstasy that Tsuna swore to never bring about his feelings for her. The brunet smiled ruefully at her retreating back, forcing himself to swallow that whenever she was happy, he would also be happy.

Was he feeling remorseful for feeling sad over Kyoko's happiness? Or was it the fact that he had even bothered to do her a favor?

Tsuna shook his head. Glancing at his clock, he was surprised for waking up early for once. The orange blanket that covered him was taken off. Tsuna sat on the edge of his bed; he honestly did not want to go to school today. The thought of seeing Kyoko together with some other boy pierced his heart through and through.

Finally standing up, Tsuna ambled to the bathroom. He took his time doing his morning routine, after all, there was no need to rush. Once fully dressed, he came down to the dining room, actually feeling somewhat giddy that he was not in a rush for anything. The smell of freshly cooked bacon filled the room. A woman can be seen busy frying over the stove. Tsuna hurried to give her a peck on the cheek. "Good morning, Mom."

"Ah, Tsu-kun! You're early today." Nana smiled.

"Surprised?" Tsuna asked teasingly. "Because I was surprised at myself."

The brunette walked toward the table, carrying a plate of eggs. She sat down in front of her son. "Ara? You must be excited for school today. Did something happen?"

With his mind immediately flying to Kyoko and Hibari, Tsuna mumbled, "No. At least nothing good for me."

Nana placed her hand over Tsuna's, a worried gaze painted on her face. "Would you like to talk about it?"

Tsuna smiled at the warmth. Nana Sawada was a person he knew he could always rely on. Kind and considerate, a person Tsuna really needed the most. But for now, he decided to face his own problems. He was already a burden to his mother, he absolutely needed to man up. He replied, "It's fine, nothing serious."

Nana gave him an understanding look. She quickly dwelt in on some of the neighborhood's amusing stories. Tsuna listened attentively while eating. It was times like these that he could say he was really happy, that he was loved, that there was someone who would always be there for him.

Tsuna wished times were always like these.

...

The feeling he had when he woke up was returning. Whenever he would look at Kyoko, he could straightaway notice that she wasn't listening to the teacher - obviously daydreaming. Tsuna didn't need to guess a second time to know what she was dreaming about. Soon, Tsuna would feel the mixed emotions of regret, pain, and contentment. Was he a masochist? He begun to question himself. Was he okay with not telling her his true feelings just for her to be happy? Tsuna knew the answer, of course. For her, it would be okay.

With the teacher's dismissal, most of the students heaved relieved sighs. Tsuna immediately glanced at Kyoko. In a few minutes, his heart would be broken. There was no way Hibari would not like Kyoko. She was too perfect, even the violent prefect would no doubt like her.

The brunet frowned at his thoughts. Time seemed to move so slow while he was watching his friend. Her happy smile immediately turned nervous when the bell rang. Fixing her things, she bade her friends good bye and looked at Tsuna. Nodding, Tsuna gave her an encouraging smile and a thumbs-up sign. Kyoko smiled in return and rushed out of the room.

Half of his mind wanted to follow the brunette and listen to their conversation, but the other half shouted no, it would only result in a heartache. Anyway, Kyoko would probably tell him everything by tomorrow. He imagined both Hibari and Kyoko holding hands. Releasing a sigh, he looked outside the window, melancholy engulfing him. After a moment, he almost screamed out loud when a hand was placed on his shoulder, "Y-Yamamoto-kun! You scared me!"

"Sorry, Tsuna." The baseball player laughed. "I was wondering why you're still here."

Tsuna glanced at the now empty classroom. "What time is it?"

"It's half past four, baseball practice just ended," he replied.

_It's that late already? _Tsuna wondered in surprised, "I better go home. Bye, Yamamoto-kun."

"Wait, Tsuna. Want to go to my house? We can have sushi." Yamamoto grinned.

"Oi, idiot! What's taking you goddamn long?" Gokudera growled, entering the room.

"Oh, Hayato. I was asking Tsuna to come over. The more the merrier, right?"

Gokudera eyed the brunet. "So, is he coming or what?"

_T-They're inviting me over? _"I-Is it really okay to have me?" Tsuna asked. This was the first time someone had invited him to hang-out ever since middle school. If he grabbed this chance now, maybe just maybe he would be able to gain friends? Tsuna shook his head. Impossible, they were popular. He's just a dame sophomore student who can't do anything right. There was no way anyone would want to be friends with him. Just no way..

"Of course. We're friends right?" Yamamoto smiled widely.

Friends. Tsuna smiled. Nodding, the brunet took his bag. "Is it okay with you, Gokudera-kun?"

A grumble erupted in the room. Both the two looked at the silveret. Gokudera's cheeks were tinted with light pink. Growling, he turned around and started walking. "Let's go already you, idiots!" The two laughed and followed suit.

...

Takesushi was actually not that far from school; the sushi bar was simple yet looked very appealing. Tsuna stood there, admiring his new friend's shop. He never heard from the rumors that Yamamoto's family owned a sushi bar. _Maybe it's to avoid Yamamoto-kun's fans? _Tsuna grimaced at the thought of high school girls crowding this shop. The man behind the bar seemed to be an older version of his raven-haired friend. The brunet could easily guess it was his father.

"You brought a new friend, Takeshi?" The man asked.

"Dad, this is Tsuna."

Tsuna nervously smiled at the man. "My name's S-Sawada Tsunayoshi." He bowed.

"Tsuyoshi's the name. There's no need to be so formal, Tsunayoshi-kun." Tsuyoshi laughed. Tsuna had to smile, it was truly like father and son for these two. The aura they held was so kind it was very comforting. "You going up to your room, Takeshi? I'll send up some plates for your friends."

"Thanks, Dad!" Yamamoto faced his friends. "Let's go up." Yamamoto entered the door at the end of room with Gokudera following. Tsuna, left with no choice but to pursue, went after them. As he slowly ascended the staircase, nervousness crept up and down his spine. After a long time, he was inside a friend's house. Tsuna shook his head. Could he really call these guys his friends? Why did they even bother to speak with him? The popular and the dame - more like the royalty and his slave. Tsuna shook his head once more, deciding to ask them directly instead of being drowned in his own cogitations.

When Tsuna reached the top, a door to his right was visible. The bronze knob all of a sudden seemed so hard to turn, his pale hand quivered as he felt the slight coldness of the metal. Mustering up his courage, Tsuna was about to turn the knob when the door abruptly opened inward. A surprised Yamamoto greeted him, "Oh, Tsuna! I was wondering what took you so long. Come on in!"

Gulping, Tsuna took a step forward; another step and he was inside the room. The teen glanced about warily, looking from top to bottom, left and right, until his caramel orbs landed on the duo that sat on the floor, a low square table in front of them. Based on his observance, the area was practically normal. A bunch of famous baseball players' posters were stuck on the beige walls, a bed at the leftmost corner of the room and on its front was a messy study table , a cabinet on Tsuna's right, and there was a bamboo sword underneath the table. For whatever purpose it held, Tsuna had no idea.

"You walk like a goddamn turtle. Do you always walk that slow?" Gokudera rolled his eyes.

Tsuna gulped and fastened his pace. He sat on the side that faced Yamamoto, who grinned at him. Silence filled the room, and it didn't help Tsuna's awkwardness one bit. With Yamamoto, he was fine, but the silveret was really intimidating.

The baseball player stood up saying, "I should go help out Dad downstairs. You guys wait here, okay?"

Tsuna was about to protest when Yamamoto rushed out of the room. He was left alone now with Gokudera Hayato, a person he had never once thought to actually be acquainted with. Silently, he wanted to scream at the raven-haired teen for leaving him.

Twiddling his fingers underneath, Tsuna's eyes roamed everywhere around the room, wanting to avoid contact with Gokudera. The brunet could actually feel the teen's emerald orbs rest on him. Sooner or later, he knew that both of them would break the absence of sound between them.

"He's not on a date this week." And there it was, but the sentence only served to confuse the young brunet.

"W-what do you mean?" Tsuna asked, baffled.

"You're aiming for a date with baseball-idiot, right? Well, good for you, he still doesn't have one for this week," Gokudera scoffed. "Though I wonder what you guys really see in him."

Tsuna's jaw dropped. A few seconds had passed with his mouth left hanging open when he was finally able to say something, "W-what? I don't want to date Yamamoto-kun! I'm not.. I'm straight! I like Kyoko-chan!" Realizing his mistake, he covered his mouth with both hands, cheeks becoming swiftly red from embarrassment.

"Kyoko? Sasagawa Kyoko? That loudmouth's younger sister? Quite a challenge for you, don't you think?" Gokudera smirked.

Tsuna's face became redder from the slight mockery he was receiving. "I know I'm useless, that's why I'm not going to confess. Dame-Tsuna going to confess to Sasagawa Kyoko, the school's idol? That would be a laugh." Tsuna laughed in scorn.

"Then you're more pathetic than I thought you were," Gokudera snarled. "You're not going to confess for such a stupid reason? If you're only going to look down at yourself, then you don't have any right to complain when others look down on you. You belittle yourself, then expect others to belittle you too, you moron. You're actually more dimwitted than that baseball-idiot."

The outburst shocked Tsuna. Having the conversation escalate quickly wasn't what he had expected, much less have this temperamental guy give him advice. "How can I not look down on myself when it's the truth? I'm not smart, I'm not athletic, I'm not good-looking, I'm just...nothing," Tsuna ended lowly.

"Every person has their own assets. You just need to find yours and you'll gain your confidence. Don't just cry on your ass all day, use those days to actually hone your talents or something," Gokudera replied, arms crossed.

Tsuna smiled widely, "Wow, Gokudera-kun. You're actually a nice person. I was really scared of you at first, but I guess it's true that first impressions aren't really what they're supposed to be."

Gokudera sputtered, "I-I'm not nice, you idiot. I only said that because baseball-idiot told me to be friendly with you."

"Ah, then you and Yamamoto-kun really are close!"

"What the hell?" Gokudera shouted.

"Yo, guys. What's all the shouting about?" Yamamoto entered the room, a hand held a tray that consisted of plates with a variety of sushi.

"Nothing, Yamamoto-kun." Tsuna grinned. He glanced at Gokudera, who was probably muttering curses at him.

Yamamoto simply shrugged and placed the tray on the table. "Oh, I asked Dad to make some sashimi since I knew they were your favorite, Hayato."

Tsuna just smiled and continued eating.

...

When Tsuna returned home, a feeling of contentment and ecstasy filled him. The experience of being with friends had long been forgotten ever since he attained the title of Dame-Tsuna during middle school. He was lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling, a twinkle in his eyes evident. A replay of today's event kept running in his mind. He couldn't help it. It had been a long time.

A ring from his cellphone snapped him out of his brooding. No names entered his mind on whoever wanted to contact him. Standing up, he walked toward his table and picked up his phone.

Sasagawa Kyoko calling.

Tsuna wanted to hit himself. He was so into his early nirvana that he had forgotten about Kyoko's situation. His emotions turned over in an instant and he felt bitterness and nervousness overwhelm him once more. "Hello?" Tsuna answered the phone.

"Tsuna-kun?" Kyoko's angelic voice responded.

"How was the meeting?" Tsuna asked, preparing himself mentally for the heartache he was about to receive. Almost a minute had passed and Kyoko still hadn't answered back. Tsuna spoke again, "Kyoko-chan? Are you still there?"

"He told me he was dating someone already," the brunette whispered.

"Eh? Why would he agree to meet you when he was already dating someone? That...that...," Tsuna muttered angrily. How dare that man waste Kyoko's effort and time. But underneath his anger, there was a tinge of giddiness. Tsuna felt bad about feeling happy for her loss. He was her friend, he was supposed to support her. He released a breath. "Did he tell you who he was dating?"

"No. I asked him, but he told me that Vongola's date names were confidential." Kyoko sighed. "And just when I had the chance. I guess it's hard liking someone so popular, ne, Tsuna-kun?"

_I know the feeling, _the brunet frowned. "So what are your plans? Are you going to try again?"

"Of course I would!" Kyoko firmly answered, "I just need to meet him again next week Thursday since that's the day he said the week will end. And anyway, I don't want to waste Tsuna-kun's effort for making him meet me. I'll try hard again, Tsuna-kun, I promise!"

"That's great to hear, Kyoko-chan," Tsuna forced a smile.

"Then I got to go now. Onii-chan looks like he's going to break all the plates he's washing. Bye-bye, Tsuna-kun, see you tomorrow!"

Tsuna also said goodbye and placed his phone down. He felt torn. Should he be selfish and feel glad that it didn't go well for her? Or should he be the good and loyal friend he is and continue to support her? Shaking his head, he'll just go with the flow for now. Emotions could really tire a person out.

...

The sound of knocking woke him up. Tsuna could hear his mother calling him. With a grunt, he stood up and opened his door, surprised to see his mother with a wide grin on her face. Tsuna tilted his head in wonder, "What's with the grin, Mom?"

Nana waggled her index finger in front of him, making shushing noises. "You never told me. That's kind of mean, Tsu-kun," she pouted.

"Eh? Tell you what?" Puzzlement filled Tsuna's mind.

"That you had a boyfriend! A handsome one at that. Mama is so proud!" Nana smiled. "Now hurry and get dressed, he's already at the table." She hurried down again, leaving Tsuna very, very confused.

Hastily putting his clothes on, Tsuna rushed down to the kitchen, only to be met with great and utter horror to him. There he was seating on the chair, candidly eating a plate of pancakes with sausages on the side. Tsuna could only gape in trepidation. Multiple questions kept entering his mind. What. The. Heck?

Hibari Kyouya was in his house.

* * *

**E/N: **I'm really depressed at the moment. I just ugh. Writing can actually really calm you. Please, review, and thank you for all of your support for this! c:

If you're wondering, chapter 1 was Monday, chapter 2 was Tuesday, chapter 3 was Wednesday, and its end is Thursday already.


	4. The First Day

Thank you very much,

**Honoka-chan, Latui, ben4kevin, delcielosintonia, Narutopokefan, KhRfan12, christine27lover, Jazebeth, NFGdP, Pulver15, scarletwater, FallenxLinkin, AnonymousAuthor13, scarlet rose white.**

Guest **Nel**: Thank you so much for your reviews! c: And, mehehe, you'll know in this chapter.

Guest **Lost Innocent**: Well, here it is! Finally the start of the budding /1827/, or is it?

* * *

**_Seven_**

Orithyea

* * *

**Chapter 4: The First Day**

It felt like hours had passed when Tsuna managed to close his mouth. His mind was numb with confusion, the current scene before him still had not entered his mind fully. Slowly, he ambled towards the prefect, who was still plainly eating the pancakes. When he was close enough to touch him, he lifted his arm and poked the raven-haired teen. No reaction. He poked again. Still nothing. Once more, he repeated his action.

"What are you doing?" Hibari asked, obviously ticked off.

"Hie! W-W-What is H-Hibari-senpai doing here?" Tsuna asked, shocked.

"Tsu-kun, that's a really rude question to ask," Nana scolded. "Sit down and eat breakfast, otherwise it will only get cold."

Tsuna could only nod, he sat on a chair, and stole wary glances at Hibari. Hibari had already finished his share of food, currently gulping down his orange juice. Once done, his steel-grey orbs landed on Tsuna's caramel ones. The brunet flushed under his gaze, and hurriedly ate the remains on his plate. Feeling conscious, Tsuna could not help but feel bothered by his presence. _Why is he here? _Tsuna bit the last bite of pancake, and immediately stood up.

"I'm going now, Mom." He hurriedly grabbed his bag from the table near the door, not even bothering to listen to his mother's words of protest. From his peripheral vision, he could see the Vongola member follow suit. This motivated him to fasten his walking pace, but alas, the chihuahua from the neighborhood was something he had still feared. Tsuna froze in his tracks, the small brown dog growling at him. He looked at his back, and saw Hibari walking toward him. Now, it was a deadly question for him.

Hibari, or the dog?

Tsuna wanted to literally facepalm at the moment. Did he just seriously put a dog and Hibari in one sentence? He shook his head, and ran as fast as possible, away from the prefect, ignoring the loud barks of the diminutive canine. Numerous buildings he had already passed, but he forced his legs to carry him at a greater distance from the bloodthirsty teen. He brushed off the annoyed looks of the citizens that he bumped into, and pursued to escape.

Finally stopping, Tsuna dared to look back once more. There was no sign of Hibari. He released a sigh of relief, and leaned against the wall of a certain building, attempting to catch his breath. The whole scenario made him lose thought of school. The trademark shriek of his could be heard once he glanced at his watch. Now, he was sure he would get bitten to death. Tardiness was certainly not a thing that was tolerated by the prefect. Even if he did manage to escape from him earlier, there was no escaping later at school.

Tsuna glared at the tiny clock on his wrist. Maybe if he concentrated enough, the time would move backward. This time, Tsuna definitely did a facepalm. What was up with his mind today? It had got to be Hibari's fault. Badgering in his home unwelcome, without even the slightest bit of warning. What was he doing in his home, anyway? As if he had the right to come in. Tsuna now felt extremely annoyed, and he could feel he was brave enough to tell off the prefect.

The brunet felt a hand land on his shoulder. Because of his annoyance, he was pissed off at this gesture. He barked at the owner, "What do you want?" Leaving his mouth open, his eyes turned wide, "H-H-Hibari-senpai." When did he manage to catch up? Tsuna was sure he lost him, he had ran for quite some time now, he had turned from various left and right turns just to avoid him, and even blended in the crowd, which he was sure that Hibari would not be able to do because of his loathe of crowds.

Tsuna was definitely convinced that the prefect would bite him to death. Closing his eyes, he mentally prepared himself for the pain that would come. He was rather surprised when he was proven wrong. Opening one eye, Tsuna was bewildered when he saw Hibari just standing still, an eyebrow raised.

"We are going to be late, Tsunayoshi," Hibari said, no tint of any threat in his words.

_Did he just call me by my name, and in a non-threatening way? _Tsuna wondered if his heart could take any more shock for this day. Inhaling deeply, he asked, "W-Why did you c-call me Tsunayoshi?"

"That is your name, isn't it?" Hibari stated, a-matter-of-fact.

_Oh, right. Smooth, Tsuna. _"A-ano, w-why did you go to my house?"

The prefect looked at him for a moment and said, "Look, we are going to be late. I do not tolerate such things."

Tsuna's blood turned cold; he managed a meek nod, and started walking in the direction of Namimori High. Hibari walked beside him, and Tsuna's body begun to shake from the teen's intimidating aura. His palms sweated madly, and he had to wipe it inconspicuously on his pants. Almost shrieking out loud, a black jacket was placed on his shoulders. Tsuna looked at Hibari in an awkward surprise, "E-eh?"

"You are shaking, you must be cold," he merely stated.

"But I'm not-" Hibari's glare made him shut his mouth. They continued to idly walk when Tsuna had this urge to interrogate him. He repeated his question earlier, "W-Why did you go to my house?"

"To pick you up, of course."

"Why d-did you pick me up?"

"To go to school together."

"Why would we go to school together?"

"Because we are dating."

"Oh, I- What?" Tsuna screamed the last word. "What do you mean we're dating?"

Hibari looked at him. "It means what it is." Tsuna was about to retort when the prefect started talking again. "You are excused today for your tardiness, but it will not happen again. Understood?" The brunet only nodded, his courage to ask again left him. "Now go to your classroom. I will pick you up for lunch." With those words, Hibari left the confused teen at the gate.

What just happened?

...

Tsuna sat in a daze, the early morning events swirled in his mind. While he was on his way to his destination, he wondered endlessly on why Hibari thought they were dating. Not once had he stated nor implied that he would want to go out with him. First of all, he was straight; second, he liked Kyoko; and third, he found absolutely nothing appealing about the prefect, heck, he was scared shitless of him. Tsuna recalled any possible time that would have made the prefect think the brunet wanted to date him.

_"H-Hibari-senpai." Tsuna felt his grey eyes bore on him. "Can y-you meet up tomorrow after school?"_

"Shit!" Tsuna stood up, slamming both hands loudly on his desk, chair thrown with slight distance from the teen's sudden movement. Tsuna's outburst caught the room's entire undivided attention. Tons of curious pairs of eyes stared at him, leaving him wishing to just faint on the spot right now. No one can blame him from the conclusion that he had managed to form in his mind. All he needed now was to confirm it, and if by chance it was true, he wouldn't know how to face Kyoko.

"Is there anything wrong, Sawada?" the teacher asked, rather perturbed at the sudden disturbance. Tsuna shook his head from pure embarrassment. He picked up his chair from the ground and covered his face, which had turned red from his actions. The teacher shrugged and continued the lesson.

For the first time in his sixteen years of existence, he actually wanted to speak with Hibari, the man whom everyone feared. If what he had earlier thought out was confirmed, he'd most probably want to jump off the roof. He should clear the misunderstanding as soon as possible; spending time with the prefect was not really on his most wanted list, not to mention the fact that he's the person whom Kyoko's interested in.

...

After another two periods of class, it was finally lunch time. Tsuna kept fidgeting on his seat for two reasons. Firstly, Hibari said he would pick him up. The idea of having lunch with the Vongola member actually made him want to go home and cover himself with a blanket. Secondly, his bullies. The realization that the bullying had stopped came unto him just a few moments ago. It had stopped when Yamamoto first invited him to eat with them. Though the occasional teasing during class was still there.

"Sawada Tsunayoshi."

The voice made Tsuna freeze. At last, he was here. Hibari was leaning underneath the arc of the doorway, immediately attracting the attention of everyone in the room. Whispers filled the room, people kept glancing back and forth from Tsuna and Hibari.

Nervously, his eyes hunted for both Yamamoto and Gokudera. Dismay filled him when he saw them continuing their normal routine. Yamamoto was laughing with a group of their female classmates surrounding him, whilst the silveret was snarling at another group of girls, who also encircled him.

Tsuna willed his hands and feet to act. Slowly, he picked up his lunch box and persuaded his legs to carry themselves to the dark-haired teen. Tsuna offered a small smile and Hibari only responded with a nod. Hibari turned around and started walking, the brunet simply went along with him.

Tsuna was sure they were going to eat at the roof again, but was met with surprise once Hibari stopped in front of the Disciplinary Committee's room, which was actually the much comfortable Reception Room of the school. How Hibari managed to use it for his organization, Tsuna rather not want to know.

Opening the door, Hibari sidestepped, allowing Tsuna to go inside first. Surprised at this nice gesture, Tsuna slightly felt awkward. He entered the room and allowed his honey-colored eyes to roam about. The area was quite simple. A window with red curtains was at the opposite side, a green drawer was at the left corner and beside it, a tall brown shelf, a table with stacks of paper lay in front of the said shelf, and a yellow couch at its front, though quite a distance from the table.

What caught Tsuna's eye was a medium-sized painting at the other end of the room. Tsuna went nearer for a clearer look, and was astounded at how the artist managed to capture the very detailed structure of Namimori High. His eyes searched for any form of sign that would make him know who the painter was, but only proved to be futile as no signature was left on the piece of art. With curiosity overwhelming him, he asked, "Ne, Hibari-senpai, who painted this?"

Hibari coldly said. "You do not need to know."

Tsuna was taken aback at the sudden change of tone. With voice quivering, he said, "I-I was just curious. Sorry."

The brunet waited to get bitten to death. Somehow, he had made Hibari angry; for whatever reason, he did not know. He stood silently, anticipating the prefect's rage, but was met with none. The only movement Hibari made was sitting down on the mustard-colored couch.

"Eat."

The word that left the prefect's lips reached the brunet as a command. Taking his time, Tsuna advanced toward the long, upholstered furniture. He sat down and placed his lunch box on his lap. With hands slightly quivering, his fingers popped the lock up, the delicious smell at once engulfed the entire room.

Tsuna peeked at his companion, who was silently staring at his bento. Tsuna wondered if he had no food. He asked, "You don't have any lunch, Hibari-senpai?"

"No."

Not discouraged by the prefect's lack of response, he said, "Would you want to share mine?"

"There is no need."

"You should eat. Here." Tsuna shoved his chopsticks on Hibari's palms. "Mom always tells me it's bad to skip meals, even if it only happens once in a while."

Hibari was silent, which made Tsuna finally realize his predicament. _Oh my god. I'm alone with Hibari-senpai, and I'm speaking casually with him, and I just practically forced him to eat, and I don't really understand what's happening right now, _Tsuna panicked, _I need to clear the misunderstanding right away.__  
_

The brunet started, "H-Hibari-sen-"

"It's good," Hibari spoke up.

"Eh? What is?" Tsuna asked, confused.

"The food. What else?"

The teen with gravity-defying hair blushed, "Oh. My mom's really great."

"Can you also cook?" Hibari continued to eat.

"W-Well.. a little?" In all honesty, Tsuna was actually rather competent regarding cooking, despite his academic and physical mayhems. Cooking was the only thing he could say he was good at, but he was a humble man, and arrogance wasn't really in his vocabulary. "I could make you a bento tomorrow." _Oh, no no no no no. That was as good as asking him to lunch tomorrow. _"I mean.. I-"

"I look forward to it then."

_What the heck is happening? _"Ne, H-Hibari-senpai." Tsuna gulped."What do you mean by we're d-d-dating?" The last word came out stuttering.

"We're dating, that's it. What more do you expect, Tsunayoshi?"

There it was again, his name left the prefect's mouth. It was already the second time, and Tsuna wanted answers now. "Do you like me? B-Because I'm not r-really into guys, and uh.. There must have been a misunderstanding." Tsuna felt hot from embarrassment; here he was attempting to reject or rather explain to Hibari, who must have misinterpreted what he had said previous days ago.

"You are weak, has a ridiculous below average grade, and is always last in PE classes. Nonetheless, it is Vongola's rule not to reject anyone, may it be a man or woman nor their status." Hibari eyed the brunet. "You asked me to meet you. I do not see any misunderstanding in that."

_Well, ouch. _What Hibari said was true for the tuna, but he was used to being constantly jeered at. Though when it came from Hibari, there was no sign of jeering, he only stated it a-matter-of-factly. Tsuna truly appreciated that, at least someone did not make fun of him for being born the way he was. "I was asking you to meet up for a friend of mine, I wasn't asking you out," Tsuna said quietly.

At this, Hibari scrunched his eyebrows, "Who?"

"Kyoko-chan, Sasagawa Kyoko."

"I see. I was about to go to your classroom when that girl came rushing at me on the staircase." Hibari leaned on the couch. "I told her I was dating someone already, and that meant you, Tsunayoshi. I merely thought you forgot about your request to meet up."

"It was just a misunderstanding. There's no need to continue the week anymore," Tsuna mumbled. "You'll just waste your time on me anyway." Silence reigned for a moment. Tsuna contemplated whether to go out now or wait to be asked to leave, he was saved from answering when Hibari answered.

"I am a man of my word, Sawada Tsunayoshi. We will finish this week, and I believe you owe me lunch tomorrow," the black-haired teen said, smirking.

Tsuna didn't know whether to be thankful he wasn't bitten to death, or should be terrified at the coming six days.

* * *

**E/N: **I have a poll on my profile; if you guys don't mind, could you please check it out? Thank you! c: I would also love to get constructive criticisms.


	5. The Second Day I

Thank you very much,

**Orcux, scarlet rose white, AniManGa19930, FallenxLinkin, NFGdP, KhRfan12, AnonymousAuthor13, ben4kevin, yaoi1827, animebaka14, Kururo Saruko, Latui, sad1st1c m1stress, ezcap1st, pinkus-pyon, tazzsj, and CandyDays.**

To guest **Nel: **Unless the dog also bites him to death, fufufu. Thanks for the support on both stories! c: It is much appreciated.

To guest **Reader-kun****: **Thank you, luv. It's great to know that. c:

To guest **Meeee: **Thanks for the support on this and my other stories. /e-hug I'll try my best. c:

* * *

**_Seven_**

Orithyea

* * *

**Chapter 5: The Second Day I**

Yesterday's events passed by in a whirl. After their lunch date, or at least that was how Tsuna described it, much to his dismay, Tsuna simply returned back to the classroom, uncertain on how to face the prefect the next day. Tsuna had to admit though, Hibari was nicer than he had expected, unlike the bloodthirsty man he was whenever he did his disciplining; it must be true that everyone had their hidden sides. They walked home together, although no conversation was initiated. The only words that were brought out of their lips could be counted on their fingers.

_"Uh, t-thank you, Hibari-senpai," Tsuna said as he stood on their doorstep. It was the first time someone other than Kyoko walked home with him, so the awkwardness that ensued couldn't be avoided._

_"I'll pick you up tomorrow." With that simple phrase, Hibari was gone._

This time, Tsuna did his best to prepare for the prefect's arrival. He made sure that his alarm clock was on snooze for every two minutes, fixed his uniform and hanged it on his cabinet's doorknob, and told his mother over and over again to force him to wake up, even allowing her to throw a bucket of frigid water on him. This was Hibari Kyouya. Lateness was never tolerable, unless he wanted to die an early death. He also prepared his promised bento for the prefect.

Fortunately, Nana didn't need to pour cold liquid on Tsuna. The brunet managed to wake up early. At the sound of the first ring of the alarm, he sat up quickly and slapped both his cheeks hard. The thought of angering Hibari was certainly not pleasant.

Then again, Tsuna didn't think that seeing Hibari at all was pleasant.

Tsuna stood up and headed for the bathroom. After showering, he put his uniform on and grabbed his bag. He continued on to descending the stairs, and could easily smell what his mother was cooking - bacon and eggs. Grinning, Tsuna fastened his pace, being urged by the growling of his stomach.

"Good morning, m-" Tsuna paused and continued, "g-good morning, mom and H-Hibari-senpai."

"Good morning, Tsu-kun! Hibari-kun just arrived a while ago. Sit, sit." Nana smiled.

Tsuna promptly sat down in front of the prefect, who only nodded in acknowledgment. The house was quiet aside from Nana's continuous soft humming. Tsuna, unable to handle the silence with his supposed lover, broke the silence. "I didn't expect you to be so early, Hibari-senpai."

"I despise latecomers."

Tsuna sweatdropped. Good thing I woke up early. Tsuna concluded that talking with Hibari won't lead him to anywhere, so he decided to simply zip his mouth and wait for the food.

After a moment of excruciating silence, Nana served breakfast. She did not eat with the two boys, speaking about love being a sweet, golden moment for the youth. Tsuna just rolled his eyes and ate his food, sometimes glancing in Hibari's direction.

It was Hibari who finished his first. He rested his elbow on the table and leaned his head on it, watching the brunet, or more likely staring at him. Tsuna flushed at the attention. The way Hibari was looking at him made him petrified. Those steel eyes seemed like it could see through his soul.

What the hell was he thinking? Cliche shoujo manga?

Tsuna shook his head and gobbled his food in an instant. With mouth still full, he slammed his hands on the table and stood up. "Mom! I'm going to school now." He grabbed his bag, immediately wore his shoes, and rushed outside. Maybe he should persuade Hibari to stop this nonsense. This was not in any way what they want. Tsuna despised Hibari, Hibari despised everyone. Wait. Hibari despised everyone. Then why did he get involved with the Vongola in the first place?

With his thoughts going to that direction, Tsuna suddenly became curious. Hibari was famous for loathing crowds and hating the so-called herbivores. Yet why?

"Tsunayoshi."

Oops.

"Walking together means walking together," Hibari said. "Come." He took the brunet's left hand and started walking together.

"Hibari-senpai! P-people will see!" Blushing, Tsuna looked awkwardly at the people around. Oddly enough, it actually seemed like it was normal for them. Then again, the prefect was one of the Vongola. Ask them on a date and they'll accept. Maybe they were used to seeing Hibari with other people, regardless of their gender. Of course, it was simple as that.

A few more steps and they would had reached their destination. Tsuna noticed that Hibari was still holding his hand. Panicking, he attempted to shake off his grasp, only for the other to hold it tighter.

"What are you doing?" His voice made Tsuna freeze. Hibari raised an eyebrow and continued to walk again.

"W-w-wait! We're almost at school. The others will. . . will see this." Hibari followed the boy's gaze and saw that he was pertaining to their hands. Tsuna was certain he would let go of him when the former just shrugged and stayed nonchalant, while Tsuna, on the other hand, was already close to being insane. "Let-"

"So what if they see?" stopping in his tracks, Hibari asked.

Tsuna stood, gaping. "What so? Rumors will spread about us! And Kyoko-chan will-" he added, "Kyoko-chan!" With all that had been happening, guilt spread about in the confused teen, forgetting his love interest's predicament made him completely feel like a fool.

"Then let them spread," the black haired-teen simply responded.

That was it. Tsuna was getting extremely annoyed at how one-sided this person was taking everything. "Look-"

A yell interrupted Tsuna, "Whoa! Is that Dame-Tsuna with Hibari?"

"No wonder he was getting close with Yamamoto-san, he was aiming for Hibari the whole time," a girl laughed.

"Poor, guy. I kind of pity him," another one jeered.

"You idiots," a student reprimanded them, eyes full of anxiousness, "have you forgotten that's Hibari Kyouya you're talking about? Run!"

The students scurried away, and after a short moment, only Tsuna and Hibari remained. Tsuna snorted, amused. "That was fast." But his emotion turned upside down when he thought of what would happen after. He was already Dame-Tsuna, now it seemed like he was running after Hibari. If Kyoko found out, Tsuna couldn't imagine what her reaction would be. For now, it would be best to explain to her as fast as possible, that is, if she's willing to speak with him.

Tsuna kept thinking and didn't notice when he and Hibari continued to walk, hands still clasped together. The damage was already done, the students had already seen it, it would be a small matter of minutes before the entire school would know. Tsuna grimaced and silently followed the prefect's lead, no longer thinking of protesting to him.

They continued to walk up until the classroom, but Hibari released his hand before they went through the school gate. The small brunet sighed in relief at this. It was still early and classes had yet to start, so seeing students in the corridors was not to be questioned. Tsuna was thankful of Hibari's reputation, it made the students stay away from them. But he could easily hear their whisperings behind their back. Even if they were no longer holding hands, the prefect was walking right beside him. Which was mostly strange.

The two had arrived at the classroom and Hibari opened the door without hesitation. The classroom, filled with chatterings, came to a complete halt. All eyes rested on the newcomers. Tsuna sighed, this time in frustration. The attention was really getting to him. He allowed his honey-colored eyes to roam about and they stopped when he saw Kyoko looking at him - aghast.

"I'll pick you up again at lunch," Hibari said and left.

When Hibari left, Tsuna was bombarded with questions. Not a single one registered in his mind, so focused on speaking to Kyoko. Tsuna rushed to her side and started panicking. "Kyoko-chan, it's not what you think. I-"

"Do you want to talk somewhere private?" Kyoko asked softly. Tsuna bobbed his head immediately at this. The brunette turned to her friends and said, "Sorry, I'll be back." The girl stood up and led Tsuna out of the room to a staircase. Kyoko sat down on one of the steps and nodded at Tsuna.

The nervous boy sat down beside her and started talking. "Where should I start?" he mumbled.

"Why not start on how you felt the same way towards Hibari-senpai without telling me?" Kyoko snapped. "Did you realize how disappointed and hurt I felt when I heard you were the one currently dating senpai?"

Tsuna flinched at the tone she used. "I don't feel that way towards him! It was a misunderstanding! I asked him to meet up, but I was so nervous I completely forgot to say whom he was meeting nor where was the meeting. So he took it as a sign that I was asking him to go out with me. But I swear I don't really feel anything towards him. Honestly. Please believe me."

Kyoko raised an eyebrow and nodded slowly, "I don't think Tsuna-kun is the type to lie. Then why didn't you ask him to cut it off? Surely if you don't really want to do it you'd ask him to stop the week."

"I did. But he told me 'I am a man of my word, Sawada Tsunayoshi. We will finish this week'," he purposefully omitted the part about the lunch, "and I was kind of afraid of him to even protest. . .," Tsuna muttered, annoyed at himself at not being able to retort at the stoic man.

After a while, Kyoko hadn't said anything yet. Tsuna gazed at her with bated breath. Kyoko, without a doubt, liked Hibari, as much as it hurt to admit it. She had looked very excited and happy when an opportunity came up, and it shattered Tsuna's heart when she called the night before yesterday, hearing the girl's distressed and broken voice. But she was strong and optimistic, that's why she was able to cheer up fast and be resolved to try again. Her strong feelings for the man was an asset to her. It pained Tsuna greatly to realize that he was at fault that Kyoko was wounded.

Tsuna glanced down at the steps, feeling intensely remorseful. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked at Kyoko. The brunette softly smiled and said, "It's certainly like senpai to say that, huh." She laughed lightly. "I believe you, Tsuna-kun. I overreacted, eh? I really like Hibari-senpai," Kyoko whispered, "and I guess I was blinded by that. I trust Tsuna-kun. I do. . . I'm sorry."

"It's fine. I'm just glad that you believed me," Tsuna smiled, grateful that their argument didn't escalate.

"What day does your week end?" Kyoko suddenly asked. "Just to, you know, be prepared," she laughed sheepishly.

"Excited?" Tsuna teased. "Well, it started yesterday, which was Thursday, and that makes Wednesday the last day. You could probably ask him in the morning after. If you want, I could ask him to meet you up so you'll get to him first," he offered genuinely. Tsuna wanted to make it up to Kyoko, and he thought that maybe finally getting the week reserved for her would be best. He believed it would be best to ignore the pain he felt in his heart; it was enough to see his love smile happily.

"Thank you, Tsuna-kun!" she hugged him tightly. Kyoko released him from her embrace, her eyes twinkled in amusement, "Just make sure you tell him my name and the place this time, okay?"

Elated at her change of attitude, Tsuna laughed heartily.

oOoOoOo

Yamamoto and Gokudera were already around when Tsuna and Kyoko came back to the classroom. He also wanted to justify the misunderstanding to his newfound friends. But, like when he first entered the room, the moment he step foot in the area, he was, again, swamped with questions like 'When did you start liking him?', 'Is that why you were with Yamamoto-san?', 'Aren't you scared of him?', 'Was he sweet or not?'. Tsuna decided to merely ignore them until he heard a query that made him angry.

"Don't you find it disgusting that you used Yamamoto's friendliness to get close to Hibari?" one of his classmates sneered.

"What?" Tsuna shouted in outrage, swiftly walking to the person earlier. "I didn't have any of that intentions when he asked me to eat lunch with them," the brunet icily said, "and if I ever hear that from you again, Suzuki, I'll-I'll-"

"What? Gonna beat me up? You, Dame-Tsuna?" Suzuki sneered.

"Yeah. I should do that." Raising his fist, Tsuna aimed directly at the irritating student's face. A mere nanosecond would suffice before his punch landed on the other's face when a hand grabbed his arm, stopping him from his supposed violent action. "What did you do that for?" Tsuna growled. He turned around and was surprised to see that it was Gokudera's hand.

"Tsuna's not that kind of guy, you know. He's a pretty nice person unlike you, and I trust him," Yamamoto, who was beside Gokudera, said in a serious tone. "If I ever hear you call him _disgusting _again, you will answer to me. Got that?" Suzuki could only nod numbly under the baseball player's glare. Yamamoto looked back at Tsuna and grinned, "You okay, Tsuna?"

Tsuna blinked and nodded, "A-ah. Thanks, Yamamoto-kun. What he said wasn't true. I actually. . . ." The brunet rubbed the arm that the silveret held.

"Did Hayato's grip hurt you?" Yamamoto's eyebrows furrowed in worry. "Want to go to the infirmary?"

"Idiot, I didn't grab him that tightly," Gokudera grumbled. "I don't think he'd die of that."

"I was just making sure," the other replied defensively. "And it seems like Tsuna-"

"Don't worry, Yamamoto-kun. It's as he says, it wasn't that tight," Tsuna gave an awkward smile.

"That's good then," Yamamoto grinned. As he answered, the teacher entered the classroom and the class, who were watching the entire scene, hurriedly returned to their respective chairs. Gokudera rolled his eyes and left for his own. Before Yamamoto followed he said, "By the way Tsuna," he winked, "violence doesn't suit you."

Tsuna stood flabbergasted at what just happened. It wasn't until the teacher called out his attention that he went back to his desk.

Twice. He heard _trust_ twice. Maybe, just maybe, his high school life was heading for a change.

* * *

**Note: **I had to cut it off or else it will become too long. All will be explained soon at some point in the story. Thanks for the love. /e-hug Reviews are fuel for my engine. Fufufu.

P.S. An angry Tsuna is a sexy Tsuna.


	6. The Second Day II

Thank you,

**ben4kevin, FallenxLinkin, moongirljc, Kururo Saruko, IceCream9523, Mad Decameter, Basuke Vongola-Style, scarlet rose white, NFGdP, PetiteSkylark, p0l-anka, AnonymousAuthor13.**

Guest **Nel: **Hi, I love you. /kisses/ Hyper is good. I act like that in school. Pfft.

Guest **Meee: **Ooh~ I'm really happy to hear that. Like really, _really. _It's slowly, but surely. I guess? (lol) See my note below. :)

**Note: **Some OOC. Note below.

* * *

**_Seven_**

Orithyea

* * *

**Chapter 6: The Second Day II**

_Classes are really boring. They should be illegal,_ Tsuna thought, his chin resting on his desk. He idly stared at the board, not bothering to listen to the lesson. It wasn't like Tsuna didn't care about his grades, but no matter how hard he concentrated, his scores just wouldn't move up. Also, it was hard to be attentive to the person in front when the people around him had no decency to even lower their voices. It was obvious that he was still the center of attention.

Tsuna sat up and stared outside, the serene blue sky was lightly covered with clouds. The brunet smiled, the clouds reminding him of Hibari. The clouds that could never be restrained were always moving, never at one spot, just like how the prefect is - detached. Despite the one week rule, it was never heard that Hibari had been in a serious relationship before, much less had close friends. The other four from the Vongola, Tsuna guessed, would probably be the closest people Hibari had ever interacted with. Chuckling, Tsuna was sure that Hibari would deny that they were his friends or acquaintances. When he gets the chance, he would try to ask the man regarding that.

Tsuna jolted out from his musings. Why was he thinking about the prefect? He blinked a few times; it was probably a fluke. The clouds were aloof; it just reminded him of Hibari, that's all. But, Tsuna admitted, the more he thought about Hibari, the more his curiosity grew. He should ask more about his pretend lover for Kyoko's sake. He was sure it would make the girl happy. _Right,_ Tsuna nodded at himself, pleased at his idea.

When the period finally was brought to an end, Tsuna brought out two bentos – one for himself and the other for Hibari. He hadn't forgotten about his promise, no matter how the other treated him. Tsuna grimaced, remembering the ruckus he had caused earlier. _Well. . .It was Hibari-senpai's fault_, Tsuna fumed. But inside, Tsuna knew the man was not to blame. Hibari had such an erratic personality that Tsuna could never know what was in his mind.

Hibari arrived a little while later, his grey eyes immediately landed on him. This time, Tsuna didn't hesitate to go to him. Honestly, he was kind of getting used to the prefect. Tsuna supposed that they were both going to eat at the Reception Room again when Hibari led him to a staircase going up, gaining the brunet a confused look on his face. Despite the sudden change, Tsuna kept following his believed-lover. It was only a bit after he realized that they were heading towards the rooftop.

Turning the silver knob, Hibari pushed open the door. Tsuna's eyes widened in surprised; the rest of the Vongola were there, all four of them. Hibari looked at Tsuna and said, "Yamamoto Takeshi _asked_ me that we eat lunch with them." The one word was dripped in irritation.

Tsuna glanced back at the group and saw that Yamamoto had a large bandage on the left side of his face, which wasn't there earlier when the scene with Suzuki happened. The petite teen grimaced at the thought of Hibari hitting Yamamoto. Gulping, Tsuna summoned his courage. He shouldn't act silly and cowardly like the first time they met, he should be much more manly. . .like the Vongola. His feet ushered him nearer to the group. Tsuna opened his mouth and said, "H—h—hi."

So much for manliness.

"Yo, Tsunn" Yamamoto greeted, a mouthful of onigiri stuffed in. "Cmmm shh hrrr."

Gokudera whacked the back of the baseball player's head. "Swallow and then talk, you idiot."

Yamamoto winced a little at the impact, but started chewing fast and swallowed. He grinned and said, "Yo, Tsuna. Come sit here."

Tsuna looked back at Hibari, tilting his head. Hibari looked back at him, an eyebrow raised in question. Tsuna hugged the two bentos he held in one arm and the other arm took hold of the black-haired teen. Even though they weren't required to take this relationship seriously, Tsuna had this nagging feeling that in the seven days he was supposed to spend time with the prefect, he should at least make the experience worthwhile. Anyway, it was his nominal lover that brought him to the rest of the Vongola for lunch, adding the fact that Hibari wasn't as scary as his first impression showed him.

"Let's go, Hibari-senpai." Tsuna smiled, leading the man towards the group. At his touch, Hibari promptly removed the hand.

"I can walk by myself," Hibari said. Tsuna gave a wry smile and nodded, feeling somewhat foolish. With his hand free, Tsuna was about to hold the bentos with two arms when Hibari took both. "I'll carry it."

Tsuna blinked. "O—okay. Thanks, Hibari-senpai." The brunet walked beside the large space beside Yamamoto. Tsuna wondered if his carefree, if not dense, classmate constantly arranged it so that he was sitting next to him. Right now, Tsuna had a clear view of Yamamoto's bandage. It actually looked rather painful, considering the size of it. "Yamamoto-kun, what happened to. . .that?" He asked, pointing at the plaster.

"The bird went wild," a voice chuckled. The smooth voice made the brunet flinch. Yamamoto was at his right and Mukuro was at his left with a space between them, how could Tsuna not notice that? He should had at least exchanged places with the former. Mukuro slowly inched closer and pouted, "You're so far from me, Tsunayoshi-kun. Why not sit with me?"

With a face of disgust, Tsuna did the opposite and went nearer Yamamoto. "N—no thanks."

"Come on. I'm better than that self-proclaimed carnivore over the—" Hibari abruptly sat at the void of space, his lips fixed in a snarl, eyes glaring intensely at the heterochromiac man. Mukuro backed away a little, raising his hands in mock surrender. "Ooh. Scary."

"Rokudo Mukuro, I will bite you to death." Hibari had his hands behind him. Tsuna, aware of what was about to happen, attempted to stop the incoming scene. He rested his hand on the prefect's shoulder.

"N—ne, Hibari-senpai. Let's just eat. S-see. . .I have your bento here." Tsuna nervously smiled. Unwrapping the orange cloth that covered the boxes. Thin hands shook from nervousness, unable to properly unknot it. Hibari leaned forward, removing the knot. "S—sorry." The boy flushed at the sudden closeness.

"Which one is mine, Tsunayoshi?"

"T—the bigger one below," Tsuna replied. Hibari nodded in response and took the one meant for him. He casually opened it, revealing varied food lined up perfectly in the box. The prefect held the chopsticks and, with it, pinched one of the meat, slowly directed it to his mouth and chewed. Tsuna's breath hitched, waiting for Hibari's reaction. Hibari took one after another without saying anything, making the brunet worried.

"What?" Hibari asked, apparently noticing the smaller teen staring at him.

Tsuna blushed at having been caught. "H—how is it?"

Hibari paused and continued, "Quite good."

"Thank goodness." Tsuna smiled brightly. "I was kind of afraid since I didn't know what Hibari-senpai likes." Hibari muttered something incomprehensible. Confused, Tsuna asked, "What was that?"

"I said hamburger steaks. I do not like being asked to repeat myself, Tsunayoshi."

"S—sorry," the brunet mumbled, but smiled, please that he learned one piece of information about him. "Then that's what I'll make next time for lunch."

The sharp sound of whistling was heard. Tsuna whirled around to see that the other four were watching them, and that it was Reborn that whistled. "Is the bird starting to get caged?"

"Are you looking for a fight?" Hibari growled.

"Just amused." Reborn smirked. "Not like you could win anyway."

"I will bite you to death."

"No thanks, that's disgusting."

Hibari stood up and scowled at the other, a killing aura surrounded him. Tsuna started to panic, immediately latching on the prefect. Was asking for a normal lunch too great to ask for? "H—Hibari-senpai, please don't fight."

"Stop touching me," Hibari said brusquely, pushing off the hand.

Tsuna paled, afraid of the enraged prefect. Maybe his thoughts of Hibari not being that violent was wrong, he was just being nicer because Tsuna was his lover of the week. That was probably it, Tsuna guessed. He brought up both of his arms in front and stuttered, "S—s—sorry."

"You're scaring him, Hibari," a serious voice said. Tsuna turned around to see that Yamamoto was glaring at Hibari, which in turn increased Tsuna's scared level. Seeing the always-smiling teen turn solemn freaked him out, similar to how he treated Suzuki. "You. Are. A. Vongola," he hissed.

Hibari, too, glared at the other black-haired Vongola. He immediately turned around and exited the rooftop, leaving Tsuna gaping in shock and fear. "I—I'm sorry. I s—shouldn't have. . .," Tsuna's voice shook.

A smile returned to the baseball player's face when he looked at Tsuna. "Maa, it's Hibari, it's normal. So don't worry about it."

"Why would you ask him to date you if you're that scared of him?" Gokudera scoffed.

Mukuro, who remained silent the entire scene, spoke up, "I'm curious too. I mean, I'm way better than that. . .that. . . ." Mukuro's nose scrunched in repulsion.

Tsuna tried to smile, but utterly failed. Mumbling, "It was a misunderstanding. I was asking him out for a friend, but he took it as me wanting to date him. I guess I was so scared of him I didn't manage to say everything clearly."

"I see." Yamamoto looked thoughtful. "And?" Tsuna cocked his head in question. "Who's the friend? She should at least come to him in person, that's pretty cowardly," Yamamoto added.

"She's not cowardly," Tsuna defended. "Kyoko's just shy."

"Kyoko? Isn't that the girl you—" Tsuna slammed his hand against the silveret's lips with eyes begging. Mentioning the girl's name was a mistake. The thought that Gokudera knew about his feelings completely left him. His hands quivered, Gokudera's voice muffled by the cover. Realizing this, he immediately released his hands, the other scowled at once. "Do that again and I'll castrate you."

"Hie! Sorry."

"So you decided to be the knight who sacrifices for the princess? That's pitiful," Reborn said, voice brimmed in derision.

"Well, it's better than ruining our frienship. At least she's happy," Tsuna murmured. Now that Hibari got infuriated, the chances of getting to know him better slimmed. He decided to apologize fast to the prefect; he'd do that after school. Right now, Tsuna had other plans. "Anyway, would you guys tell me more about Vongola? I—I don't really know much about it since I wasn't interested anyway. Ah!" Tsuna panicked. "I m—mean. . ."

"Maa, I understand. You're not interested in guys." Yamamoto grinned. "Well, guys or girls ask us on a date and _bam,_ a week of _weee_, and then _boo_ it ends," he explained, flailing his hands wildly along his self-made sound effects. Tsuna just stared at Yamamoto as if he grew two heads.

"Your idiocy is truly remarkable, Takeshi." The pineapple-haired Vongola chuckled. "People ask us to go out with them, and we pleasure them for a week by. . .," he whispered directly in the brunet's ear, turning Tsuna as red as a tomato.

"What the fuck are you telling him, you pineapple pervert?" Gokudera growled. "It's simple. We have this annoying people ask us out and then we dump them after a week, and then they're stuck in their own fantasy world full of their stupid delusions. All of those idiots are just the same." Gokudera rolled his eyes.

Tsuna scratched his head. "I do get the 'ask them for a date and they'll go out with you for a week'," _Even if it's in their weird way of saying it._ "But I mean, are there any rules? Hibari-senpai did mention before that you guys accept anyone, no matter who they are." Guilt shot up as Tsuna mentioned his lover's name.

"Before any of these idiots will answer, I'll do it," Reborn spoke up. "Just as they have said, Vongola will accept anyone as long as their week is free. It's first come, first serve. We are _required _to treat our current lover special with our best service as possible. But," he lowered his voice, "it is no longer our problem if they become, let's say, delusional."

Reborn's voice sent shivers down the non-Vongola. "Who thought of forming this group? And why?"

"Kufufu. Because we're obviously good-looking and popular with not only the ladies." Mukuro winked. "So think of this as giving everyone an equal chance to be with us."

Tsuna raised an eyebrow, slightly taken aback by the powerful confidence thrown at him. Nonetheless, Reborn continued, "Oh, and I formed the group." A sly smile became visible on his face. "Together with Hibari Kyouya."

oOoOoOoOo

Different thoughts swirlied in Tsuna's mind, making him become more confused as a second passed by. Reborn's words kept repeating themselves. Tsuna raked his hair in frustration. Hibari hated crowds, Hibari despised herbivores, Hibari was. . .unsociable. The brunet shook his head, now's not the time to be thinking about that. He should, first of all, apologize to Hibari. If he jeopardized their relationship now, it might lessen his chance to become closer to him, leading him to become unhelpful to Kyoko.

Sighing, Tsuna placed down the trash bag on the floor, sweating a little at the weight, his small body not helping. Being on cleaning duty was a pain in the ass, Tsuna inwardly cringed, not to mention that the rest of those on duty were doing nothing, only pretending to do a job when a teacher passed by.

The sounds of feet nearing him surprised him. He turned around to see the least person he wanted to make contact with – Suzuki. Remembering his classmate's goading made Tsuna see red. "What?"

"I just wanted to see if you needed help." Suzuki smiled sweetly. A little _too_ sweetly.

"Just leave me alone, would you?" Tsuna grumbled, lifting the bag again.

"But I said I wanted to help." The blond placed his palm on top of the bag and pushed it down, the contents of the sack littered the floor. "You," Suzuki jabbed the brunet's chest_,_ "humiliated me in front of the entire class—"

"You brought that on yourself." Tsuna spat.

"—and I'm going to teach you a lesson." Suzuki was only one person and didn't seem that strong. Perhaps if Tsuna used his full strength - which he had, hopefully - then it may be possible to defeat him or at least suffer minimal injuries.

But who was he kidding?

Two more guys appeared on both Suzuki's sides, changing Tsuna's complexion to white. _I'm screwed._ Despite the clear disadvantage, Tsuna formed a defensive stance, he placed his clenched hands in front and set his feet slightly apart. This time, he would make sure he was not going down without a fight. Suzuki's insult a while ago was too much for him. He had managed to gain new friends, there was no way he'd let anyone slander that.

"Fighting back? Tut, tut, Dame-Tsuna." Suzuki waggled his index finger. "If you want, I could let you deal the first punch."

"I d—don't need charity." How ironic. The cornered-teen mentally facepalmed.

"Tough words for a small animal."

Truly, Hibari Kyouya never failed to surprise him.

"H-H-H-H-Hibari?" Suzuki stuttered. There was never a day when Tsuna thought anyone would beat him in stuttering. Finding it funny despite the situation, Tsuna snickered. "I w-w-was just helping Dame-Tsuna. Yeah, I was," he nodded vigorously. "S-s-so w-we're going now. Bye!" Twirling around, the bully prepared to ran away. Of course, Hibari made sure to intervene.

"I believe you were offering Tsunayoshi something?" Hibari's grasp on the blond's collar made the former gasp. "Well?"

"First punch. . .first punch! I was offering him the first punch!" The boy struggled against the hold.

Dragging the now panicking ruffian, Hibari dropped him off in front of Tsuna. "Hn."

Tsuna stared, twiddling his fingers. He knew what Hibari wanted him to do. But no matter how the scoundrel treated him, he just couldn't bring himself to hurt anyone. Hence, he responded with a clever: "Uh."

Hibari picked up the boy again and took out one of his tonfas, eyes glinting in anticipation. "It seems I'll be taking your offer."

"Eep!" Tsuna closed his eyes and covered his ears, willing the sounds of the metal rod hitting the trio and their cries to go away. He started counting sheeps to redirect his attention, only barely reaching eighteen sheep in total when he heard Hibari's voice.

"I'll walk you home." Tsuna opened his honey-colored orbs and shuddered. All three guys lay in a heap, all unconscious. It didn't seem like they were on the verge of dying. Maybe a few broken bones here and there - and a pair of black eyes for all. But the other two guys Suzuki had with him were twice his size. Tsuna wondered how Hibari beat them. Next time, he would make sure he'd keep his eyes wide open.

"O-okay. Let me just grab my bag in the classroom. Could you wait for me by the gate?" Hibari nodded and whipped out a black cellphone. Tsuna realized he and Hibari had never exchanged e-mail addresses nor numbers. Kyoko would most definitely be happy if he managed to get those. _I'll try to get it later._

As fast as his short legs could carry him, Tsuna ran back to the room, not surprised upon finding it empty. Sighing, he surveyed the room to make sure it was at least presentable. Satisfied that it was, the brunet grabbed his bag, inevitably, his eyes found itself looking outside, finding the prefect leaning against the wall. _I should hurry. _He dashed again, almost tripping at some point.

"Sorry for making you wait, Hibari-senpai!" Tsuna gasped, taking in fresh air at each gasp. Stamina, he needed to improve it, Tsuna noted.

"It's fine. Let's go."

Tsuna resolved that this time, he'd be able to learn more about the prefect. But yesterday, the first time they went home together, was really awkward and, thus, the air was filled with quietude. He knew Hibari wouldn't initiate any conversation, so he was left with that job.

"Hey, senpai." The only response was a grunt. Tsuna fathomed that as his way of telling he was listening. "Thanks for saving me earlier. I really appreciate it. I'm not really strong like you. Just like you said, I'm simply a small animal," he sheepishly laughed.

"Small animals aren't always weak. Otherwise, they would've all died out by now."

"Oh, I guess you're right." Silence once again resumed, but Tsuna didn't want it to end just like that. He thought and thought of something to say when he was reminded of what Reborn said earlier. "Ne, Reborn said he formed the Vongola with y-"

"What did he tell you?" Hibari asked sharply.

Flinch. "J—just that he formed the group with you." Silence. Tsuna groaned within, getting disheartened at even trying. He told himself that making an effort to know more about the skylark was for Kyoko, to make it up for his blunder. But right now, he was suffering from exasperation. Every attempt he tried seemed like it was of no use.

"Yamamoto Takeshi informed me of Suzuki Takao's behaviour."

_The _Hibari Kyouya started a conversation. Tsuna gaped, the action completely surprising him. Regaining his composure, Tsuna apologized, "I guess I caused quite a ruckus. Sorry." _Part of that was your fault though. _Instantly taking the idea back, Tsuna shook his head; it was his own fault for acting rash.

"For a small animal, that was bold."

Now he was praising him. If there were more surprises, Tsuna didn't think his heart could take it anymore. "T—thanks." Hibari gave a slight nod and turned silent once more. Tsuna was pleased that the tension between them went down. "I'm sorry for making you mad during lunch. I didn't mean to uh. . . ." What did he do wrong again? Touched him?

"Tomorrow." Hibari suddenly said.

"Eh? What?" Tsuna looked around wildly, not noticing that they had arrived at the front of his house.

"We will be going to the amusement park. Be ready at 11. Do _not _be late."

Saturday was the day tomorrow, meaning no classes. _A date?_ Tsuna blushed. _Calm down, Tsuna. It's just pretend, no need to panic. _"But isn't it crowded there?"

"Are you questioning me?" Hibari glared.

"N—no, Hibari-senpai."

"Alright then." Tsuna watched the prefect's retreating back.

Unpredictable, Hibari Kyouya was indeed unpredictable.

* * *

**Note: **The main story will have fourteen chapters, but I'm thinking of making some side chapters featuring the other Vongolas. Would you guys be interested?

Ohonhonhon. Fast update.


	7. The Third Day

Thank you,

**p0l-anka, Antlersmoon18, FallenxLinkin, NFGdP, scarlet rose white, ben4kevin, Elle Werner, LOVEnHATEareboth4letterswords, Miraki-chan, Basuke Vongola-Style, AnonymousAuthor13, IceCream9523, cyboytori.**

Guest **Nel**: That's great to know. Yamamoto's side chapter would probably be the first one posted. And /winks/ look forward to it and the rest.

Guest **Meeee**: Fast update again, I think. But really, that made me laugh. Ha ha ha! I can't imagine Hibari saying that.

**Warning: **_OOC_.

* * *

_**Seven**_

Orithyea

* * *

**Chapter 7: The Third Day**

Whoa.

Tsuna stood gaping at the gate, eyeing the teen on the other side. He scrutinized himself and groaned at his clothes – a pair of jeans coupled with his favorite orange and white hoodie. Dressing to impress did not cross Tsuna's mind, he was more concerned with the fact that he'll be alone with the prefect. Outside. On a date. But right now, he kind of regretted not making even a wee-bit of effort to choose an outfit nicely.

Hibari wore a pair of black jeans that hugged his legs and a red belt, matched with a polo shirt that was also black. It was simple, but perfect. The dark outfit highlighted Hibari's pale skin and raven hair. He hated to admit it, but Hibari was a very good-looking person.

He _did not_ just think of that.

"Are? Hibari-kun?" Tsuna turned to see his mother come out. "Tsu-kun said he was going out with a friend. He didn't say it was you."

Hibari answered, "Good morning, Sawada-san."

"No need to be so polite! Hibari-kun can call me Mama." Nana giggled, placing a palm on her cheek. "Mama would be so happy."

"M-mom!" Mortified, Tsuna's cheeks turned red. "We're going now. Bye!" Tsuna grabbed the prefect's hand and dragged him away, mumbling _embarrassing_ like a mantra. After he deemed it was safe, the brunet stopped walking and looked at the other, abashed. "Sorry. Mom thinks there's really something between us. She always says something embarrassing."

"You seem close."

Tsuna seemed thoughtful, using his left hand to scratch his head. "Well, I guess we are. It's just mom and me in the house because Dad's job requires him to stay away from home for a long time. We rarely see him, so I make sure Mom won't get lonely." Tsuna smiled.

Hibari simply nodded. "We should go to the park now."

"R—right. Let's go." _Oh._ Tsuna was about to continue walking when the warmth in his right hand finally registered. He glanced at their clasped hands and thought of pulling it away, but decided not to, thinking the scenario yesterday would just repeat itself. A blush turned up when the brunet realized that he was the one who first took the other's hand. He simply wanted to escape from his mother before she added any more awkward statements. Since they were so close now, Tsuna decided he might as well take the opportunity to observe the prefect.

Hibari's sharp grey eyes never failed to intimidate anyone, it was something that added to his venomous aura. But after a careful look, he could see a very guarded expression in his eyes. His ebony hair appeared to be silky, making Tsuna yearn to touch it; his skin was white and baby smooth. He sulked, understanding why the female population was attracted to the person beside him, even Kyoko had fallen for him.

Tsuna continued to think. The brunette wasn't the type of person to fall in love based on appearance, he knew the girl that much. But Hibari was a very scary and violent person, unlike Kyoko, who was so sweet and angel-like. Though, Tsuna came to realize that Hibari wasn't at all that scary, maybe just a little – he was still afraid of the prefect. He also learned that in some ways, Hibari was nice. He did save him from Suzuki yesterday, and now that he was thinking hard, Hibari had not called him herbivore, not even once. Small animal, yes, but the brunet didn't think that was in any way a form of insult.

The prefect was frightening, that much he was aware, but maybe Hibari had his own ways on conveying his feelings. Like how he disciplines the entire Namimori, meaning he cared for Namimori to that extent; how he was taking him today on a date despite him getting angry during lunch yesterday, which by the way, Tsuna still hadn't apologized properly. "Hey," Tsuna suddenly said, regret dripped in his voice. "I...uh...sorry for lunch yesterday. I didn't mean to be such a busybody to you."

Hibari looked at him, his silvery eyes glued to caramel ones. "You didn't do anything wrong." He lifted his right hand to ruffle Tsuna's hair, the act, completely took the brunet by surprise. "I believed taking you outside would serve as compensation for lunch." Hibari broke the eye contact and directed his eyes straight ahead. "I was not able to finish the food you prepared for me."

Strange. Hibari Kyouya was so strange. One second he could be the infamous scowling school prefect, the next second he could be a normal nice guy. Tsuna recalled all the moments that Hibari had bitten him to death for tardiness, for sleeping during classes, for crowding, or sometimes when he was in a rush that he didn't put his uniform on properly. The raven-haired was truly puzzling. Tsuna's impression on him previously was not exactly great.

_"We are _required _to treat our current lover special with our best service as possible."_

Reborn's words seemed to echo in the wind, reminding Tsuna of reality. Hibari was only being nice because of the rule. After the week was up, they'd go back to being the prey and the predator, playing a game of cat and mouse. It wasn't like Tsuna wanted to stay as Hibari's lover. The thought that it was him standing beside his crush's interest was completely wrong and a bother to the conscience. For now, he would try his best to be of help to the girl. However, Tsuna was having an extremely hard time figuring out Hibari's personality.

With all the time he spent on musing, he was surprised to see that they were already at the amusement park. Hibari released his hold on Tsuna's hand and headed to the ticket booth's direction. Tsuna deflated when the warmth was gone, it was as if something went awry. Frowning, the brunet immediately removed the thought from his mind. Tsuna scrutinized the area and noticed that the line was pretty crowded. He thought of the prefect, who loathed crowding.

Maybe he should have been the one to buy the ticket. If Hibari snapped, it would definitely not be a great sight, he shuddered. Decided, Tsuna allowed his feet to follow the route his supposed-lover took. His honey-colored eyes searched for Hibari, his height not helping at all. He wove his way along the throng of people and was pleased to see the prefect, heading straight to the ticket line. The _very_ crowded ticket line. Tsuna picked up his pace, determined to stop Hibari. His feet halted when he saw what was happening.

As Hibari approached the line, he stopped at some distance and glared. "Herbivores, leave or I'll bite—"

"Hie!" Tsuna ran fast, apologizing as he bumped into person after person. "W—w—wait, Hibari-senpai. I'll buy the tickets, okay? J—just wait over...," Tsuna glanced around and spotted an empty bench a few meters away; he pointed at it and continued, "there."

"I do not appreciate being told what to do, Tsunayoshi," Hibari coolly said.

"E-eto...please?" Hibari stared at him. Tsuna was definitely not going to let the prefect fight amidst the crowd and create a scene. This place was for fun and merriment, having people be afraid at their trip here would make the brunet guilty. When he noticed his black-haired companion nod lightly, Tsuna smiled widely and went to the end of the line, his eyes following Hibari as he saw him sit on the bench, arms immediately crossed with his left leg resting on his right.

_Thank god I was in time,_ Tsuna thought_,_ wiping his forehead. It seemed like it was up to Tsuna to keep this so-called date as normal as possible; not like he expected this date to go well. _And it's my first date too,_ Tsuna frowned. Perhaps he shouldn't count this as a date. It was fake, there were no feelings, it was a duty - an obligation. It was only pride that made them do this. Tsuna moved forward as the line shortened. He glanced at Hibari, afraid that he might get impatient.

A kid of around eight years of age ran in front of the prefect, tripping at the process. Tsuna could make out the small boy's scraped knee, a small reddish spot became visible. It was in Tsuna's nature to always help those in need, but in his predicament, he couldn't. He could only watch as Hibari stood up and bent his knees, leaning at the boy. What?

Tsuna blinked and observed. He could make out the prefect speaking to the child, who didn't give the impression of being terrified by the man. The child looked up and bobbed his head, his expression of pain was replaced with a wide grin. Slowly standing up, the boy dusted off his blue shorts and waved good-bye to Hibari. Hibari simply stared at the boy's retreating back and sat down again.

Despite getting baffled, Tsuna smiled. Perhaps Hibari was truly a nice guy deep inside. Well, he didn't exactly help the child stand up, but somehow, he made the boy happy. _So mysterious._ When it was finally the brunet's turn, he exchanged his money and went straight to his companion. "Ugh. That was such a long line." Tsuna handed over the piece of paper.

Hibari took the ticket and swapped it with money, cocking an eyebrow. "Then why did you offer to buy the tickets?"

"Well, you hate crowds, right?" Tsuna smiled sheepishly while counting the money he was handed. It was enough for both. "You gave too—" The look Hibari gave him mollified him.

"Oh?" Hibari smirked. "How considerate." Hibari stood up and led the way to the entrance. People kept bustling in from all directions. Tsuna had to hold on to his lover's polo to avoid losing sight of him. He was surprised when the prefect removed his hand and held it. "These herbivores are crowding," Hibari growled under his breath.

Tsuna noticed the irritated look on his face. "Do you want to go somewhere with less people?" he asked.

"No," was the reply, "it would be a waste of time."

_It's better than waiting for the bomb to explode,_ Tsuna sweatdropped. "It's all right, there are loads of—"

"I said no," Hibari seethed.

"Uh, right. No."

Hibari asked, "Do you not like it here?"

"No, it's not that." He waved his left hand frantically. "I was just worried about you that's all." _And the other people,_ the brunet added inwardly.

Was it just his imagination or did the prefect tighten his hold? Impossible, Tsuna denied, assuring himself that it was the former. But what he was sure of was that Hibari's patience was running out, his aura was causing those around them to keep their distance as far away as possible. Tsuna sighed, deciding it was better this way. Why did he have to choose this place? If he wanted a date, Tsuna was fine with anywhere else. Heck, he was fine even if they didn't go out.

"What do you want to ride first?" Hibari asked upon finally entering the park.

Tsuna looked around. Amusement parks weren't really his thing, the heights, the speed, the darkness of a haunted house, any of those easily freaked him out. Maybe he should suggest the Carousel or something that wouldn't make him faint, but then Hibari would think he was girly. He was a man. And he was going to goddamn prove it. "Roller coaster," Tsuna proposed.

But when Tsuna saw the twists and turns of the ride, he felt like screaming.

"Backing out?" Hibari smirked.

"Of course not," he retorted. "I could probably ride it over and over again."

"Really now," Hibari said. Tsuna caught the amused glint in his eyes.

Annoyed, he grumbled, "I'll show you."

Hibari just smirked.

oOoOoOo

Why did he have to choose the front seat? Tsuna held on to the metal bars tightly, already feeling his soul leave bit by bit. _Calm down, Tsuna. Just think of something else during the ride. _The brunet thought of how they managed to ride immediately, the line, after all, was very long. Hibari simply went directly to the front and said: 'We are going to ride.' Those in line didn't even argue, and Tsuna had the nagging feeling that this was going to happen for the entire day.

The car suddenly gave a jolt, spurning him out of his thoughts. His eyes widened, knuckles turning white at his grip. Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale. He could feel Hibari's eyes on him, probably mocking him. He felt himself flush. Hibari was no doubt enjoying this. About to retort, the car unexpectedly lurched somewhat slowly at first and then it gained speed.

Tsuna gripped the metal bars for dear life.

oOoOoOo

A shadow covered him and a bottle of distilled water was shoved in his face. Tsuna looked up to see Hibari; the brunet said thanks and greedily drank the entire bottle in one gulp. Wiping his lips, he breathed deeply and felt his blood return to its normal pace. He sensed that his face must still be a bit pale. Tsuna had never felt so embarrassed before. Remembering the scene so clearly made him cringe.

He tried to endure it, but the speed and height overwhelmed him. When the roller coaster arrived at its highest peak and started its descent, he swore he gave his loudest shriek and all he saw was stars. And Hibari was there to see it, hear it. He was sure he was going to gibe him. What a pathetic display to show his _rival _– which he was sure he wasn't, keeping in mind he lost a battle he hadn't fought.

"You could have suggested other rides." Hibari sat down beside him.

Tsuna turned away. "I didn't want to."

"Why?"

"Just because, okay?" he mumbled.

"A small animal shouldn't venture out of its territory," Hibari said. "But it wouldn't grow if it remained in its safe zone."

Tsuna looked at him in wonder. Was he comforting him?

"Do you want to go home or are you choosing another ride?"

Screw showing he was a goddamn man, he wanted to be somewhere where his quaking stomach would turn tranquil. He looked around and his eyes brightened at what he saw. Tsuna pointed at it. "That."

"No. Choose another."

"I want to ride that."

"I said no, Tsunayoshi." Hibari gritted his teeth. Tsuna would've been scared if he weren't feeling light-headed and the fact that he had an ulterior motive.

"I said I want to ride that," he countered. "You asked me, I choose that."

"...fine."

Tsuna smugly smiled.

oOoOoOo

Laughter was indeed the best medicine. Tsuna couldn't remember the last time he had laughed so loud and hard. For the first time, he was grateful that he was Hibari's current lover. If not, he was sure he'd be dead right now. The queasiness he felt earlier was gone in an instant.

He never imagined there would be a day when he'd see Hibari riding a horse on a Carousel. He took his phone out and started taking pictures of the prefect. He was also thankful to Reborn. If he hadn't mentioned that Vongola was required to treat their lovers as best as possible, Tsuna wouldn't have thought this was possible. What he was doing was dangerous, Tsuna knew that. He was aware that once this was over, Hibari was going to bite him to death. But, hey, enjoying the present was more fun than worrying about the future.

"Tsunayoshi, I am going to destroy that phone," Hibari growled.

Tsuna sniggered. "Yeah, right." He took his tongue out. Perhaps his threat would had a bigger impact if he wasn't riding a horse full of decorations, going in circles...full of kids. He was conscious of the children that stared at Hibari. Possibly, they see the prefect as a prince. He was, Tsuna begrudged, attractive after all. When the ride came to a halt, he ungracefully hopped down and glanced back at his companion. He asked cheekily, "Had fun?"

"I choose the next one." Hibari scowled.

Tsuna paled.

oOoOoOo

He knew it was on purpose, he knew it was for revenge for earlier, but all Tsuna wanted now was to run away. He felt no ground as the ride initiated. _The Tower_ was the ride's name. To Tsuna, it seemed like a thousand meters tall. The way the chairs lift up and suddenly drop you down made his stomach queasy again. He closed his eyes and prayed to all the gods out there that when he opened his eyes, he would be back in his home, lying on his bed, smelling the food his mother was cooking.

Slowly, he opened his eyes and his vision was brimming with blue. The sky was practically swallowing him. _Oh god, oh god, oh god, _he kept repeating. Tsuna wanted to close his eyes, however, his mind refused to budge. He looked down and literally felt his soul leave. All the people gave the expression of being ants. Tsuna was jealous. He wanted to be an ant like them. Not to be a bird about to swoop down at top speed.

Click.

He froze and gradually peered up.

Oh.

Tsuna screamed.

oOoOoOo

"Next ride?"

They were back at the bench, gulping down another bottle of water, and Hibari was smirking, which made Tsuna very annoyed. If it was a battle he wanted, then he'd give him one. Vengeance was supposed to be sweet. And Tsuna wanted that. He absolutely desired for that.

"How about that?" he asked sweetly.

Hibari glared.

Tsuna was pointing at a small train ride. With kiddy designs. Overflowing with kids.

oOoOoOo

After countless of rides, the amusement park announced its closure. Astonished, Tsuna rolled his right sleeve and peeked at his watch, amazed at how late it was already. How was it possible for time to move so fast? He looked up, finally aware of how dark the sky became. The number of people also dwindled, he noticed after surveying his surroundings.

"Do you want to eat somewhere?" the Vongola member asked.

The first idea that popped up was TakeSushi, but he felt awkward about bringing Hibari with him. He rarely went out, so he didn't have any idea. Tsuna shook his head. "No, it's fine. We should go home now."

Hibari raised an eyebrow, but didn't question his decision.

The two of them headed out for the exit, and Tsuna was still shocked at the thought of surviving the entire day with Hibari, not to mention he actually enjoyed it. Tsuna said, voicing out his musings, "I had fun." He smiled.

"Had fun screaming?" Hibari countered.

He flushed at the obvious jibe. "It's better than being mauled to death by kids."

The other scowled back. "I should bite them to death."

"Hibari-san, they're kids!" Tsuna reprimanded. Hibari just stared at him and the brunet noticed his mistake. "Ehe...I mean H-Hibari-senpai."

"Using _san_ is fine," his lover finally answered.

"Oh..." Silence filled the void. Tsuna was satisfied in walking in comfortable silence; it gave him time to think. Today was fun, he already confessed that, it was completely unexpected. He didn't presume that time with that violent person would turn out to be quite enjoyable. Heh. Tsuna's impression on him was greatly being overturned. Or maybe it was merely a fluke.

Whatever. It would end soon. It was already the third day, soon, Wednesday would arrive and it'd be farewell to being stuck with the prefect. But it wasn't all that bad, he grinned to himself. Today, it felt like he became closer with Hibari, elucidating why he accidentally turned 'senpai' to 'san'.

"Tomorrow we'll go to the movies _and _have dinner," the person beside him all of a sudden said when they reached the brunet's house.

Tsuna chuckled lightly at the last part. "Okay then."

"I have some business in the morning." Hibari rummaged through his pocket and took out his black cellular phone. He held it out to Tsuna and said, "It is only rational to exchange e-mail addresses."

Tsuna drew his own phone out and handed it over to the prefect. "I guess it is," he agreed. He clicked a few buttons and added his own name on it. Inconspicuously, Tsuna explored his contacts, half expecting it to be filled with names of the female population, which proved to be wrong. The only ones listed on it was Kusakabe Tetsuya. How unsociable. Well, not like he could talk. The only people on his contacts were his mother and Kyoko.

Hibari handed over the phone while he did the same. Tsuna double-checked his list and was satisfied to see Hibari's name on it. The prefect nodded at him and Tsuna bade him good night.

Tsuna forgot something. "Hibari-san, thanks for today!" he shouted. He noticed the prefect paused for a while and continued to walk.

oOoOoOo

Dragging his feet, Tsuna flopped down on his bed, tired from today's activities. The warm feeling of his cozy bed made him sigh in content. Unfortunately, the euphoric feeling was short-lived. A ringing from his desk made him jump upon realizing it was his phone. It couldn't be—?

Of course not.

"Hi, Tsuna-kun! I'm sorry for calling so late." He heard Kyoko's voice on the other end.

"It's fine," he answered. "So? What made you call?"

"H—how to say this..." Kyoko mumbled. "How are you and Hibari-senpai?"

Tsuna was momentarily stunned. He had entirely forgotten his mission to help Kyoko. "Okay, I guess. It seems like he's a great guy, Kyoko-chan." Tsuna forced a smile. For the past days, he often seemed to neglect the girl. It would be best to report about his and Hibari's date. He was confident that Kyoko would be more than ecstatic to hear about it, especially when she finds out that he had Hibari's number.

But.

Somehow, he felt weird, an unexplainable emotion bubbled inside him. Perhaps it was the guilt of overlooking his love interest. Yes, he was sure it was that. "I'm sorry, Kyoko-chan. It has been a pretty tiring day." Tsuna heard the brunette apologize and hanged up. He didn't report his findings today, the emotion he had nagged him not to. He decided that it was better for the week to be over before doing it. The more the information, the better.

At least that's what he believed.

* * *

**Note: **I actually just wanted an excuse for Tsuna to stop calling him _senpai_. Having him call Hibari senpai reminds me of a shoujo manga. Besides, _Hibari-san _seems more natural.

**P.S. **Side stories would most probably be about the others' love life and how they became tangled with Vongola.

**P.S.S. **I kind of got addicted with PalletShipping.


	8. With Yamamoto Takeshi

Thank you,

**ben4kevin, lightmaster, hibary-kyo, silvermoon170, moongirljc, SinJaLOVE, Antlersmoon18, FallenxLinkin, AniManGa19930, NFGdP, pinkus-pyon, Basuke Vongola-Style, Kururo Saruko, scarlet rose white.**

Guest **Nel: **Exactly! c: I didn't even know what I was typing until I reached the end part. (lol) Tut, tut. /adds suspense/

Guest **Meeee: **Really? I'm so glad you thought so. Honestly, I had no idea on what would happen on the date. The idea of amusement park just suddenly popped in my mind...and look at the result. (lol)

**Warning: **_OOC_, angst.

_**13/05/13: NOTE AT THE BOTTOM**_

* * *

_**Seven**_

Orithyea

* * *

**Extra 1: With Yamamoto**

There were six words that were often used to describe Yamamoto Takeshi – good-looking, nice, popular, an idiot, dense, and carefree. Ask anyone and they'd answer with one of the six mentioned. However, only the first three were true, while the rest were not. It wasn't like Yamamoto wished to deceive the others, it was more like a sacrificial act for the baseball player.

Yamamoto was far from dense.

He wasn't being arrogant, he was being honest.

Arrogance and honesty were two different things.

During his years in middle school, he practically led what was considered a good life. He was instantly famous around school. Athletic, attractive, amiable, and the likes. Simply put, a perfect guy. But the attention he brought to himself was the one that brought him his downfall, served in a silver platter. Deep inside, he was insecure, afraid of others' opinions and judgment, easily frightened at the thought of them forsaking him. That's why he was eternally grateful for the skills he acquired in baseball – the sport he grew to love dearly.

Yamamoto believed that his baseball skills were the only thing that made the other students like and respect him. This reason was what led him to endeavor greatly in the sport, for his friends to remain at his side. Every time there was a competition or game coming, he made sure to practice hard and improve his abilities. He didn't, however, expect for such a twisted turn of events.

Three days before a certain competition in the first year of middle school, Yamamoto was practicing at a park near his house. He was practicing his throws, aiming for it to grow faster. For what seemed to be like the hundredth throw he made, he heard a crack in his right arm and pain shot up. His feet gave up immediately; he now rested on his knees, panting in torment. With a grunt, he slowly attempted to stand and successfully stood erect. It was time to go home, he humiliatingly concluded.

It wasn't exactly a surprise when his father started panicking once he arrived. Yamamoto was grateful that the shop was already closed otherwise the customers too would panic. Tsuyoshi straightaway brought him to a hospital nearby. After certain procedures, Yamamoto left the hospital with his right arm in a cast. To say that he was depressed was an understatement. There was a competition, what would his teammates say when they see him in a pathetic cast? He'd look pitiful, they'd abandon him.

That night, Yamamoto couldn't sleep. He lied perfectly on his back, an attempt to avoid putting pressure on his broken arm. What would they think? They would tell him he was no longer needed, that he was useless, that he should just go away and leave. He brought his left hand to his face, feeling shame course in his entire body.

The door suddenly opened and in came his father. Tsuyoshi gently smiled at him and patted his hair. "It's going to be all right, Takeshi. The doctor did say it was going to heal in a few weeks."

But the baseball player wanted to scream. His father didn't know what he was feeling right now. Pathetic, depressed, humiliated, worst of all - afraid. Nonetheless, he didn't want to trouble his father, so he grinned. "Of course. I'll be back at the game sooner than later!"

Tsuyoshi laughed and bade him good night.

oOoOoOo

The next day, Yamamoto didn't want to go to school. If he did so, he'd see the entire school mocking him. His dad would probably let him off the hook if he came up with some sort of excuse. But he didn't want to sound like a coward, so he forced himself to stand up and do his morning routine. It was hard, considering he only had to use one arm. At times he would accidentally bump his broken arm, and he would wince at the sudden pain.

His father greeted him brightly with a smile and prepared him his breakfast. Yamamoto was about to offer to help when he remembered his injury. He glared at his broken arm, angry. He felt so much anger in his body. But he grinned as Tsuyoshi served the food. When they finished eating, the baseball player announced he was leaving, but not after Tsuyoshi said to take care of himself more.

_I'm sorry, dad._

Yamamoto walked his way to school, taking his sweet slow time on it. He was definitely not in a hurry to school. Not in a hurry to be humiliated was more like it. But when the school entered his vision, he suddenly felt nauseous and wanted to return home. He felt so pathetic, so pitiful, so miserable. So he ran and ran and ran. He let his feet control his body, with no idea on what his destination was.

When he regained his senses, he found himself standing on the edge of the rooftop. He wasn't stupid, he knew what he was about to do.

_Jump._

He heard the word echo. Even if he did jump, no one would probably care. That was what he thought when a crowd of students all of a sudden came to the rooftop, screaming for him to come back and to stop. It only fell on deaf ears. Yamamoto was sure that once they realized how useless he was, they would simply throw him away like trash preparing to be incinerated.

Among the throng of people, a brunet bravely went a few meters near him. _Tsuna? _he thought. _Ah, he must have understood me above everyone else. _The black-haired teen turned around to face the other. "If you came to stop me, it's no use. You should be able to understand my feelings." A dumbfounded look was plastered on Tsuna's face. Yamamoto continued, "For someone that's called Dame-Tsuna all the time, you can understand the feeling of preferring to die over failing at everything, right?"

"No! Unlike you, I've never put effort into one single thing." Yamamoto was surprised at the timid teen shouting. Tsuna looked down and muttered, "Saying you're so frustrated that you want to die, or you want to die because of a career-ending accident...Unlike you, I've never had those kind of intense thoughts. In fact, I'm a pathetic person who would have regrets when dying...Thinking if I'm going to die then I should've done it with my dying will, thinking it's a waste to die from something like this...So, I can't understand your feelings...Sorry...Later!" He suddenly turned around and ran.

"Wait, Tsuna!" Yamamoto grabbed his uniform. "T-thanks." A feeble smile appeared. Maybe it was the intensity of what the brunet said that he managed to change his mind, or maybe it was the feeling of having to stop being a coward and face everything head on. Tsuna didn't run away when people kept calling him Dame-Tsuna. He simply accepted it as a fact, and fathoming his lack of skills.

Slowly, he went over the rail and back to the safe zone. Tsuna smiled at him before the crowd of people smothered them. He lost sight of Tsuna. But to that day, Yamamoto was eternally grateful for the boy. He had saved him from such a foolish act. He looked once more at the crowd. Some were crying, some were saying how stupid he was, others were just happy he stopped. Different emotions swelled deep inside him, but what was dominant was his feelings of happiness.

oOoOoOo

It was in Yamamoto's first year of high school when he first met Gokudera. The silveret recently transferred, making such a ruckus at his first day. He didn't listen at all to the teacher and just kept sleeping, with his feet atop the table. Finally, Yamamoto was told he was in-charge of showing the new student around. It seemed like an easy job, so he agreed to it.

When it was break time, he approached the teen. "Hey. Want to go around or do you want to do it later?" He grinned. It should be fun to get to know the silveret. Something about him pulled the baseball player in. Well, he didn't expect him to just go with him, considering the silveret's personality.

But the other scowled back. "You're going to pester me until I agree, aren't you?"

He was slightly taken aback. Was he that easy to read? Yamamoto released a sheepish laugh. "Eh...Yeah?"

Gokudera rolled his eyes and slowly stood up. "Let's just get this over with."

"Okay then." That was kind of easy. Yamamoto blinked, smiling widely. They left the room with the baseball player leading him all over the school. They passed numerous rooms, but not without Yamamoto babbling about what it is for and other nonsensical nostalgia about it. He didn't want to bore Gokudera out, so he tried his best to appear friendly to the boy.

Now and then some students would greet him. He would just greet back and beam. Ever since Tsuna saved him, he had learned to smile more and appreciate what he had and what surrounded him. Heh. Since that day, he and the brunet rarely meet. He absolutely craved to express how grateful he was to him, but fate was against it. And before he realized it, three years had passed and they were already in high school.

Gokudera and him continued to walk around. The silveret wasn't that talkative, a grunt here and there was just the approval he needed to know that Gokudera was listening. But when they turned around the corridor, they bumped into one of their classmates.

"Oh, Yamamoto! I was looking for you," said classmate spoke. "You know that baseball ticket you wanted to buy from me? Someone offered me a high price and I just couldn't resist it. So I sold it to him. You're not mad, are you? I'm sorry."

Yamamoto gaped, startled. He was absolutely looking forward to that game, the guy already told him that he'd reserve it for him, but here he was apologizing for breaking off his word. He stood for a while, not knowing what to say. After a few seconds, he managed to regain his composure; he, then, released a forced laugh. "Maa, it's fine. There's always next time, right?"

The other sighed in relief. "Thanks, Yamamoto. I knew you'd understand. You're such a great guy," he said. He waved his hand and ran off.

"That's disgusting," a voice beside him said.

Yamamoto glanced to see the new student sneering, a face of repulsion appeared so obviously. _Eh? _"Him? It's fine. He said—"

"Not him, you."

Confused, he tilted his head. "What? What did I do?"

Gokudera advanced slowly towards him until their faces were only mere inches away. The teen snarled, "The way you pretend and force yourself is pitifully revolting. If you had something to _say _to that guy, then you should have. 'It's fine.'" he mimicked in a small voice. "That's bullshit."

The raven-haired was beyond astounded. For the past years, he had lived on hiding his true feelings. Pretending had brought him to where he was today. _I knew you'd understand. _Yamamoto gritted his teeth in frustration. When he was about to commit suicide, he became aware of how feelings of insecurity could bring to one's ruin. He felt alone and hurt. So when the day with Tsuna managed to stop him from jumping off, Yamamoto realized he should be a guy who'd be understanding, the one who would never leave anyone alone, the lone one to shoulder the pain instead of letting others fathom it.

"You don't know anything," he finally hissed.

"Maybe. But at least I don't let others control me like a puppet," the other growled.

"I don't let them control me. I choose to do so."

Gokudera paused. "Why?"

"I'm happy this way," he mumbled.

"Oh? So you believe acting like a knight in shining armor pretending to sacrifice yourself would bring you happiness?"

"At least I think of others. You seem like you only care about yourself!" Yamamoto snapped.

"I do what I want when I want to." Gokudera's eyes flared.

"How narcissistic."

The silveret grabbed his collar and shoved him against the wall, thankfully, no one was around at this hallway. "Who are you?"

Yamamoto winced at the impact. "Wha...what? Yamamoto Takeshi?"

"Who's Yamamoto Takeshi?"

"Me?"

"Who _is _Yamamoto Takeshi?" he repeated.

"I'm Yamamoto Takeshi, sixteen, a first year in Namimori High of class 1-C, a member of the baseball club." Yamamoto was completely baffled at the sudden change in his classmate.

"Where's Yamamoto Takeshi?"

"But I'm—"

"Where's Yamamoto Takeshi?"

"Here! In front of you!" Yamamoto shouted, annoyed at the repetitive questions. "Look, I'm not that smart so I don't get what you're trying to—"

"Really? Because it seems to me that the person in front of me is a sad excuse of a trying hard idiotic hero," Gokudera sneered. He released his hold on the other and continued, "Now let me ask you this. Is Yamamoto Takeshi alive?"

"Y—yes...I'm alive," he answered, dazed. "I'm alive..." he repeated.

"Then prove it." Gokudera turned his back. "Prove that Yamamoto Takeshi is there." He walked away.

When Tsuna saved him, it was a turning point of his life. He saved him from death. He believed he was freed from his cowardice, from his ignorance. But when Gokudera arrived, it was only a few hours before he was saved again. Tsuna didn't entirely free him, the barrier only cracked a little and it was the silveret who shattered it. Once again, he was saved...and freed.

Yamamoto smiled.

oOoOoOo

"Maa, Hayato. It wasn't my fault that I fell asleep during class."

"You really are an idiot, aren't you? Oh, wait. Don't answer that."

Yamamoto grinned. A year had passed after the incident with Gokudera. It had been a bumpy ride after that, but gradually, they became closer and closer as each day passed by, courtesy of the cheerful teen. He understood that his now best friend was just someone who wasn't open about his feelings. Yamamoto grew to understand that, he wouldn't force the other to open up immediately.

Lately, though, whenever he sees him, he would feel queasy and weird. One day he decided to ask a doctor about it. When asked what symptoms he felt, he replied: "Whenever I see this certain person I would suddenly feel weird and my heart feels like it's being squeezed. And then I would feel somewhat nervous. Am I sick?" Instead of answering, the doctor just shook his head and smiled softly, telling him that he wasn't sick and that the problem would be resolved soon.

Gokudera was smart, that was a well-known fact in school despite his delinquent tendencies. _Maybe I should ask him, _he thought. _Yeah, I should. _So he repeated what he told the doctor, hoping that he knew the answer to it.

Gokudera stared at him for a long time. Then he released a snort. "Sounds like you're in love. Well, at least that's what they show in those sappy soap operas."

Yamamoto's hazel eyes widened, his jaw dropped. He didn't know...how could he not know...

"Hayato, you like soap operas?" he asked loudly, amazed at this fact.

"W—w—what? I never said I like those!" the other yelled, a tint of pink appeared on his cheeks.

"Maa, it's fine liking those things. I still watch cartoons."

"Somehow, I'm not surprised," Gokudera muttered. "A—anyway, who's the person?"

"Eh? What person?"

Gokudera rolled his eyes, "The one you're in love with, baseball idiot."

"Oh, that." Yamamoto grinned. "It's nothing. I must have been mistaken."

The silveret just shrugged and leaned on the railings, "You really are an idiot."

oOoOoOo

A month had passed since Yamamoto became aware of his feelings for his best friend. He swore to stay normal and keep his emotions in check. Gokudera was his best friend, his savior, it was enough. He treasured him. He didn't want to lose him for something as insignificant as his feelings. Being friends was enough, he determined. As long as the silveret was happy, then so was he.

It was also a month later when someone approached him. Baseball practice just ended and he was washing his face in one of the comfort room. If Yamamoto remembered correctly, this older teen was...

"Chaos," the fedora-wearing student greeted.

Yamamoto whirled around. "Reborn-senpai? Was there anything you needed?"

"Have you ever thought that this was a comfort room and I just needed to release?"

_Oh. _The baseball player laughed. "Right. Then I should go now." He made to leave when Reborn said:

"You're in love with Gokudera Hayato, aren't you?"

That one question made his entire body freeze. "W—what are you talking about? Hayato's my best friend," he said, feigning innocence.

"Don't act innocent with me." Reborn smirked. "I made a group called Vongola. I would be pleased if you'd join."

Yamamoto wasn't dumb, he had heard the rumors regarding the Vongola. It wasn't in anywhere his interest, but he couldn't connect the dots on why his feelings for his best friend were uttered. "Sorry, senpai. I'm not really interested." He walked a few steps before Reborn spoke again.

"It would help you find someone else other than Gokudera."

The baseball player narrowed his eyes. "I don't think I want to find someone other than him."

"But you're afraid, aren't you?" Yamamoto froze. "You're afraid of him leaving you, that's why you decided to hide your feelings." Reborn placed a hand on his shoulder and added, "I'm sure he feels the same towards you. And I can prove it to you," the senior said with a haughty tone.

"How?"

"Just join the Vongola, and you'll see."

Yamamoto didn't know if it was desperation or just his naivety that made him agree.

oOoOoOo

"Hey, Hayato." They were on their way home, and Reborn's words still buzzed in his ears. He heard Gokudera grunt, a positive sign of him listening. "I joined the Vongola. Reborn-senpai invited me." He looked intently at the other's face, hoping that he would stop him. Vongola had a rule of one week per date. It was just a bunch of flings that aimed to satisfy their clients. If Gokudera stopped him...

"Like I give a damn."

Oh.

A week later, he found out Gokudera also joined the Vongola.

* * *

**Note: **To be continued in Gokudera's part. This turned out quite angsty, didn't it? I do adore a serious and angsty Yamamoto. And yes, Tsuna and Yamamoto's exchange was courtesy of the manga's fifth chapter with just a little twist.

**P.S. **Side pairing #1 unlocked: /8059/.

**P.S.S. **An update in less than twenty-four hours. /gasps/

_**13/05/13:**_ This is not an update. But I wanted to announce the poll in my profile. **If **you have voted _**OTHERS**_** please specify it in the review as a guest or PM me. **Feel free to suggest any characters even if they haven't made any appearances yet. You never know how much your feedback could help (honestly!).

**The Fourth Day **is two-thirds done. I would most probably upload it day after tomorrow.


	9. The Fourth Day

Thank you,

**ben4kevin, Antlersmoon18, Nel, krazgirl1, NFGdP, Kururo Saruko, silvermoon70, moongirljc, theluckyshipper, Basuke Vongola-Style, lightmaster, SinjaLOVE, animebaka14, p0l-anka, Ennalight, Elle Werner, ziraulo, ForeverBlackSun, Aeternun Spe, scarlet rose white, jessiej1987, Neukiri, SkyDecimo27, CandyDays, Yume Li.**

**Guest: **Later chapters would become somewhat All27-ish...I think.

Guest **Nel: **Yes, yes he is. (lol)

Guest **Meeee: **Thank you very much! Despite not being into the ship. c:

Other **Guest: **And it landed him to a gold mine. Pfft. (lol)

**Warning: **Nothing, I guess.

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_**Seven**_

Orithyea

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**Chapter 8: The Fourth Day**

Tsuna had a dream – a really bizarre dream. He dreamt of spending the day in the amusement park with Hibari. He tittered at the last part. Even if he lost his sanity, the day he'd agree to go out with Hibari Kyouya was when pigs grew wings and learned to fly – in short, never. However, in the dream, it appeared he was enjoying the time with the prefect. He cringed at that very thought.

Besides, he bet when he flips open his phone, Hibari's name wouldn't be in it. Smiling to himself, he removed his covers and stretched his limbs. He brought himself up and ambled to his desk. He flipped the gadget, sure of himself that his contacts only had two people in it – but there were three.

He dropped the phone in utter surprise, uttering a small 'Hie!'. Memories of yesterday returned to his mind. It was real, he managed to conclude, feeling half-pleased and half-rueful. If that was the case, Hibari was bound to contact him later in the afternoon, they had set another date. He looked at the clock, which read nine in the morning. _Probably more than four hours to go,_ Tsuna thought, astonished at the current events playing in his life.

Sighing, he sat down on the edge of his bed, carefully pondering over the happenings. He idly wondered if yesterday was just something that resulted from going with the flow. He didn't particularly mind it, he had fun, and it had been a while since he went out with a friend. Nonetheless, Tsuna believed he was starting to become self-centered and selfish. He was supposed to help Kyoko with her relationship with Hibari, not think of himself and his merriment.

The feeling of wanting to talk with Kyoko overwhelmed him. He loved her; he should be true to his word and help. Yet, Tsuna can't help but feel selfish. But he knew that it was wrong to keep it from her. Determined, he opened his phone again and dialed the brunette's number, hoping for her to pick up. The sound of the other end picking up cheered him up; he immediately asked, "Kyoko-chan?"

"Sawada? Kyoko went out extremely early this morning! She forgot her phone," the male answered back quite loudly.

"O—oh...onii-san," he mumbled, recoiling at the sudden increase of volume. "What time is she coming back?"

"I don't extremely know! Do you want to leave an extreme message?" Ryohei asked.

"N—no thanks, onii-san. But...uh...thanks." Tsuna hanged up and rubbed his ears. Sometimes he wondered how he and Kyoko were related. Kyoko's brother was so loud, constantly shouting even when the person he was speaking with was so close. He was a third year, if he remembered correctly, he's in the same class as Hibari, who was famously known for not attending any classes.

Tsuna snorted. How can a person from the Disciplinary Committee not be present in his classes? Talk about proper discipline.

_Oh, well. There's still some time_. Tsuna yawned, deciding that he would pass the time by napping. He was sure he'd wake up again at around noon anyway. He snuggled on the bed again and his snores filled the room.

oOoOoOo

A sharp tone of ringing was unwelcomed in the brunet's ears. He unconsciously covered his ears with the pillow and grumbled. Fortunately, the ringing stopped. Sighing in content, he burrowed himself further under the covers when the ringing continued again. Annoyed, he finally stood up and went to his desk. Whoever was calling him was going to receive an earful.

Or not.

Tsuna looked at the caller's name and read Hibari Kyouya. Fumbling for the answer button, he managed to click it and hurriedly greeted. "S—Sorry, Hibari-san. I kinda fell asleep." He glanced at his wall clock and was surprised to see it was already half past three. Why didn't his mother wake up him? His stomach growled, reminding him of his empty stomach.

"I'm outside your house. Get ready, we're leaving."

_Leaving? Leaving...Eloping?_ Tsuna blushed. "E—eto...Isn't it too fast for that?"

"What herbivorous things are you thinking? We're going to watch a movie, aren't we," the other growled. "I sent a message earlier."

Tsuna should learn to stop watching soap operas

Tsuna should also learn not to make the prefect wait.

"R—right. Would you give me around ten minutes?" he asked, praying his nominal lover would agree.

"Be late or I'll bi—" Hibari abruptly stopped and, without warning, hanged up, leaving the brunet confused and in a frenzy to get ready. He hurriedly took a five-minute shower and rummaged through his closet to get a random outfit. Not even bothering to look, he swiftly put on a shirt and a pair of jeans. He ran downstairs as fast as he could and shouted a short greeting to his mother, forgetting to ask why she didn't wake him up.

Because of their date yesterday, Tsuna expected his lover to have on a fancy yet simple outfit. But another learning he had today was to not assume anything. When he caught sight of the prefect, he did not in any way think that he'd appear wearing black slacks and his infamous dark gakuran with the Disciplinary Committee's yellow and red badge on his left sleeve.

"Hibari-san...Why are you wearing your school uniform?" he asked bluntly.

Hibari smirked. "I don't think you're in any position to question my clothing."

Confused, Tsuna looked down at his own clothes and blushed immediately. The shirt he threw on was upside down and his pants had a hole in the knee, which his mother already reminded him to bring it to a tailor. He didn't also exactly notice that he was barefooted. He gave his little shriek, ran back to his room, and opened his closet, this time, more focused on choosing his outfit.

"It seems like Tsu-kun doesn't know what to wear for the date," a woman behind him giggled.

"Mom!" Tsuna turned around. "Why didn't you wake me up for lunch or even for breakfast? Hie! Hibari-san might be mad at me for making him wait. I have to hurry," he said as he faced his closet again.

"Then Mama will help you." Nana smiled. She lightly shoved her son away and looked thoughtful for a while, digging through Tsuna's cabinet. She picked up a white undershirt and an orange polo, and placed it on his hands. The brunette scrutinized Tsuna and slowly shook her head. "Tsu-kun, how many times have I told you to bring that to the tailor? Here, wear this." A clean and newer pair of trousers appeared on his hands. "Now go and get change. I'll place your shoes on the mat and tell Hibari-kun to wait, okay?"

Nodding, he started swiftly changing, eternally grateful for his mother's helpfulness. He felt more embarrassed now. Not only did Nana see how clumsy and brainless his son was, so did Hibari. Admittedly, for once, he felt compelled to stop showing his uselessness towards the prefect and, instead, he wanted to act as best as possible in front of him. Tsuna realized how much a single date with Hibari could change his feelings. He had fun. So, so much fun.

Tsuna suddenly became gloomy. Maybe it was just out of desperation to gain friends that he felt this way. Now that he thought of it, he also had fun at TakeSushi with Yamamoto and Gokudera. Yes, that must be it. He simply wanted to have new friends.

Finally finished changing, he ran down again and saw the shoes his mother prepared for him. He hastily put it on and went outside, finding Hibari and Nana speaking with one another. Instantly paling, he raised a hand to cover his face. Just what more embarrassing things was his mother saying now? "W—what are you guys talking about?" he butted in, bracing himself for some abashing.

"Tsu-kun...Do you love Hibari-kun?" Nana hesitantly asked.

Tsuna stood frozen. Of course he didn't. He loved Kyoko and she loved the prefect. He felt stupid just opening and closing his mouth. Eventually, he managed to ask, "What?"

"I told her about the Vongola," Hibari spoke up.

"Oh. No, Mom. I'm not in love with Hibari-san," he answered.

Nana placed both of her hands on his shoulder, looking him directly in the eye. "I don't want Tsu-kun to go out with such a guy who just dates anyone with no attachments. I want you to be happy. It's already hard with him always far...and I don't know what he's doing right now," she said under her breath.

He knew who she was talking about. "Come on, mom. Dad's too stupid to cheat on you. I bet he's just lazing around on his job. And...Hibari-san's not that bad. Don't get me wrong, I'm not in love with him, but he's actually a really great person. So I'd appreciate it if you don't question him too much." _Not like I know why he even joined Vongola, _Tsuna added mentally.

Nana giggled. "I guess you're right. Sometimes I overreact, don't I?" She added, "All right. Have fun you two. I'm sorry for bothering you too much." She smiled and walked back inside the house.

Tsuna sighed. It wouldn't kill his father to send a postcard once in a while. When his father goes back home, he was so going to get a beating. The brunet looked sheepishly at his lover. "S—sorry for that, Hibari-san. Sometimes...," he trailed off.

"It's alright. Though I do commend you for your proper clothing," the prefect stated, amused.

Tsuna flushed and looked away.

oOoOoOo

When they arrived downtown, Hibari stopped in front of an elegant small restaurant. Tsuna observed the place and found the exterior quite pleasing to the eyes with its classic designs. He did expect to watch a movie first since the prefect did say that they were going to watch a movie and have dinner. So he asked, "We're going to eat first?" He had no intentions of arguing with the other's decision though.

"Supposedly, I planned for a movie first, but it seemed your stomach begged to differ," he straightforwardly said.

Coincidentally, the brunet's stomach growled, reminding him that he had not yet eaten anything for this day and it was already past four 'o clock. Embarrassed, he laughed lightly and scratched his head. "Thanks, Hibari-san."

Hibari said nothing, but led the way inside. Tsuna, eager to fill his hungry belly with delicious food, promptly followed. The interior design perfectly matched the exterior, Tsuna noticed. While he did have to praise the creative style of the restaurant, the heavenly aroma of the food left him in a dazed state. The food was so near...he could already taste its mouthwatering goodness.

"Tsunayoshi, I doubt the other customers would appreciate you looking like that," Hibari said.

Tsuna snapped out of his dithering, feeling flustered. "You can't blame me. I haven't eaten anything since this morning yet." He followed Hibari to the table at the far end. Tsuna noticed that it was the least crowded area. How typical. He was about to sit down when Hibari pulled the petite teen's chair. Feeling frustrated, Tsuna simply allowed him to do the gentlemanly act.

"Hibari-san, I'm not a girl," he hissed once the other also took his seat.

"This is how I treat all my dates," Hibari nonchalantly answered.

"Still...I'm not a girl. So I would be thankful if you don't do that again." Tsuna took the menus handed over by the waiter and gave the other one to his companion.

"I don't see what the problem is."

"The problem is I'm not a girl."

"A date's a date."

"A boy's a boy."

"I don't see what the difference is in dating either a girl or a boy, Tsunayoshi," Hibari said in between gritted teeth.

Exasperated, Tsuna asked, "Alright then. What do the other boys tell you when you do that to them?"

"None. You're the first male I've ever dated."

That surprised the smaller one. With his looks and nice personality, which was hidden deep – _very, very_ _deep_ – inside the prefect's violent and impatient attitude, he expected that a lot of people, disregarding genders, would fall for him. But well, Hibari was so frightening that Tsuna had to understand why most of the people keep their distance from him. Even he had avoided the scary teen as much as possible.

Guilt all of a sudden shot him. If it weren't for the misunderstanding, Tsuna wouldn't have changed his impression on the other. Yes, the way he was fearful towards Hibari was still there, but it harshly lessened to the point that Tsuna would probably stop avoiding him once their week was over. Unless Hibari was going to bite him to death, then he'd probably run as fast as his short legs could carry him.

"Have you decided what to order?" Hibari asked.

"Ah, not yet." He hurriedly opened the menu and discovered something. "T—this is an Italian restaurant?"

"Wasn't it obvious?" Tsuna noted sarcasm in his remark.

Now that he mentioned it, the restaurant did have piles of vertical green, white, and red flags hanged up on the walls. He mumbled, "I was...busy thinking of something."

"Food?" Hibari smirked.

Tsuna flushed and named a random appetizing-looking food in the menu. Hibari growled for a waiter to take their order. It didn't surprise the brunet when there was a waiter at their side in exactly three seconds. When the black-haired teen finished ordering, the two of them remained quiet. Tsuna didn't know what topic to bring up, so he decided to ask something regarding the Vongola. For some reason, he thought of a certain someone.

"Hey, Hibari-san." He waited until the prefect was looking at him, affirming his attention. "Do you know Lussuria-san from the clothing line somewhere near here?" He saw him nod and continued, "What if he asked you out on a date?"

Tsuna swore his lover's grey eyes widened slightly. This was new to him. Greatly finding this funny, he fought back a snicker and retained a straight face. Hibari, without any hesitation, snarled, "I would probably bite him to death."

"That's mean. Wasn't Vongola's rule to not reject anyone no matter what gender or status he or she has?" Tsuna asked teasingly.

"That only applies for the school, Tsunayoshi."

Tsuna chuckled. "Then maybe Vongola should be more specific in their rules. If anyone finds out about that, everyone would probably ask all of you out. Including Lussuria-san, knowing his...uh...her tendencies, and he or she might target you." He tried to imagine the flamboyant person on a date with Hibari, but the image wasn't exactly...good. More like he felt pity for Lussuria.

"I do wonder how you can come up with a question like that." Hibari snorted.

Tsuna laughed, happy at seeing a new expression from the prefect. "Sometimes I do surprise myself."

oOoOoOo

Tsuna was definitely glad that the cinemas weren't crowded, void of the throng of people that they had seen in their last date. He hated it when Hibari appeared to get irritated or when he was about to 'bite someone to death'. With no crowds around, Tsuna's spirits lifted. He went over the movie line-up and thought of what to watch. There were three choices: mystery, a zombie movie, and a sci-fi one. None appealed to the brunet. He glanced at Hibari, wondering what he would choose.

"We'll watch the zombie one," the prefect decided.

"Z—z—zombie?" Tsuna stuttered.

"I don't believe you would enjoy the other two that would require a lot of thinking."

_How_ _blunt,_ Tsuna sighed. But he had a point. The movie had the genres horror and romance, which he thought was actually better than thinking. Since he was a child, he was already fond of soap operas; hence, his interest in romance was triggered. Although he had never admitted this to anyone, unless he wanted to worsen the teasing and bullying around him. But no, he'd rather keep it to himself.

While he waited at the front of the door, Hibari bought the tickets. After wondering if he should pay him, he shook his head, sure that the other would refuse it. Hibari bought a bucket of popcorn and two colas. Tsuna hurriedly took the popcorn to help in carrying, allowing his lover to bring the beverages. They entered the large room and the brunet was surprised yet grateful that there weren't a lot of people. He noted that it was almost empty.

They each took a seat in the center, hoping for a better view of the movie. Tsuna started poking around in the bucket of popcorn, eager to eat already. He fished a handful and swallowed it immediately, licking his lips in satisfaction. He was about to dive in again when his companion spoke up, "Can't wait for the movie?"

His hand lay frozen in the air. Slowly, he retracted it, embarrassed. "Uh." The place began to darken, cueing the start of the film. "It started," Tsuna whispered and dove his hand again in the tub giddily. He had always loved the taste of popcorn.

Halfway through the movie, Tsuna regretted agreeing to see this movie. There were so much blood and lacerating, he wondered how long his heart could take it. Through his peripheral vision, he could see the prefect attentively watching the film. _Figures, _Tsuna rolled his eyes. Deciding to be attentive also, he fixed his eyes on the screen, hoping that it wouldn't get any gory as it was already. Alas, fate was always against the brunet.

The next scene surprised Tsuna so much that he literally shrieked and jumped, throwing off the tub of popcorn lying on his lap. Unconsciously, his trembling hands latched on Hibari's right arm, his fingers dug into the black clothing. But Tsuna did not once leave his eyes from the screen. Every time a zombie popped up, he heedlessly scratched the prefect, ignorant of the glare the other was giving him.

"Tsunayoshi," Hibari called, teeth clenched. "Would you stop clawing me?"

Tsuna looked at him in ignorance until his eyes finally took notice of the way he was attached to Hibari. "Hie!" he shrieked, releasing his grip on his lover. He mumbled apology after apology incoherently.

Hibari sighed in frustration. "Just pay attention to the movie."

Tsuna nodded numbly and redirected his attention to the film once more. This time, more aware of his actions. He watched as the scene about the lovers continued. The woman, who had already been infected, was begging for her lover to kill him before she completely transformed. On the other hand, the man was in denial that the girl he loved had to die. The woman grabbed a knife in her belt bag and placed it in the man's arm.

_"Kill me. I want to die as a human."_

_"How could I do that? I love you!"_

_"If you really love me then you'll set me free."_

The man's grip trembled, still conflicted on what choice he had to make. For her to die by his hands as a human to free her or let his raging emotions blind him? A determined look appeared in his eyes. Slowly, he raised his hand, tears falling down from the man's brown orbs.

_"I love you."_

_"I love you too...Thank you."_

The knife went straight to the woman's heart, ending her life in one swift move. The man, anguished, knelt beside her and freely allowed his tears to cascade. He started shouting about how cruel the world was. Why did it have to end this way? Why did this happen? The man gripped the knife again, obvious torment showed in his eyes. He pointed the knife directly at his own heart and plundered it. The man fell on his side, life steadily leaving him. Before he was completely gone, he whispered in the air:

_"I'm going with you."_

As the scene faded, the movie started to roll. Tsuna sat frozen on his seat. After a few seconds, his tears started to fall down. Rubbing his eyes, he kept bawling out loud, touched at the moment of the lovers. The man loved the woman so much that he decided to follow her. So sweet, so pure, so full of love. Tsuna sniffed and sniffed, granting his water droplets to gush.

He heard a sign beside him. "Here." Tsuna looked at his companion, a hand holding a purple handkerchief was stretched out. Surprised at the foreign gesture, the brunet gratefully accepted it and wiped his eyes alongside with his nose; too emotional to feel any humiliation.

Hibari grabbed his hand and led him to a restroom. After splashing his face with cold water, Tsuna began to calm down. He glanced at the mirror and saw Hibari leaning against the wall, observing him. He blushed, knowing how stupid he must have appeared. He muttered, "S—sorry."

Hibari walked forward and stood beside him. "Do you feel alright now?"

Tsuna nodded. "Y-yeah.

"I'll send you home then." Hibari said.

oOoOoOo

Sighing, Tsuna wondered just how many times more would he humiliate himself in front of the prefect. The scene affected him so much that, in no time at all, his tears began to explode. _Stupid Tsuna, _he angrily thought. _Can't even control his own feelings. _Quite opposite of Hibari though. The prefect didn't even comment on his outburst or the movie itself. Curious, he decided to ask, "What did you think about the movie, Hibari-san?"

"Idiotic," Hibari bluntly remarked. "The man was foolish to end his life over such a trivial happening."

"It's because he loved the girl! I thought it was very sweet the way he killed himself to follow her," he answered back, offended. "And feelings of love aren't trivial."

"It's because of that herbivorous emotion that led him to his demise."

"It's because of their love for one another that they were able to survive for so long, which was a miracle considering their situation," Tsuna retorted, remembering how many times the couple had been on the edge of losing their lives. "Love is a very wonderful thing, Hibari-san."

Hibari narrowed his eyes. "I do not need anyone to preach over something so insignificant."

"You've never been in love, haven't you, Hibari-san?" Tsuna asked.

"As I've said before, it's insignificant."

Tsuna smiled. "Then you'll know when you fall in love. When that happens, you'll realize how marvelous love is."

"You speak from experience." Hibari glanced at him.

The brunet scrached his cheek. "I guess I do, huh," he said, thinking of Kyoko's face. For some reason, whenever he thought of the girl, it wasn't like before. He would no longer stutter nor turn into a tomato. How weird. Maybe it was because he gave up on his feelings for the brunette already once he realized he had no chance at all, and any effort would lead to naught.

Tsuna snapped out of his reverie when he noticed that they were already at the front of his house. "Thank you for today, Hibari-san," he said as he opened the gate. Pausing, he whirled around to face the prefect. "And it's not bad to fall in love, you know. It's not as herbivorous as you think."

Hibari smirked and kissed Tsuna on the cheek. "Maybe."

Tsuna stood gaping, only able to watch the prefect's retreating back. What just happened? It was only on the cheek, but Tsuna couldn't stop blushing.

Hibari Kyouya did not just kiss him.

* * *

**Note: **I was supposed to update yesterday, but the site seemed to go haywire. So, here it is. Thank you for all those that voted. While I do appreciate it, I won't be able to write everything that were suggested.

...It seems the chapters are getting longer and longer.

_**POLL IS STILL** **UP**_. And yes, you could vote Reborn. But there would definitely be /R27/ in later chapters.


	10. The Fifth Day

Thank you very, very much,

**moongirljc, sadisticsoldier, NFGdP, Kururo Saruko, Cyanical, silvermoon170, AniManGa19930, scarlet rose white, ben4kevin, Antlersmoon18, Neukiri, AnonymousAuthor13, FallenxLinkin, Aeternum Spe, pinkus-pyon, p0l-anka, theluckyshipper, Basuke Vongola-Style, kuro fiore01, animebaka14, xryuchan27, LOVEnHATEareboth4letterwords.**

**Nel: **A single kiss can do all that, huh? (lol) You're welcome!

**Guest: **Thank you very much. Imagine his reaction if it was on the lips.

**Warning: **_OOC_

**_Edited_: **Fixed some minor mistakes. I don't have a beta. Pardon me for any errors you might find. Thank you **xryuchan27 **and **sadisticsoldier** for pointing out my clumsy mistakes. I feel really stupid for misspelling sitting for seating. OTL

* * *

_**Seven**_

Orithyea

* * *

**Chapter 9: The Fifth Day**

He wasn't able to sleep a wink. No matter how much he twisted and turned on his bed, the god of sleep didn't visit him. Glancing at the wall clock, he groaned in frustration when he noticed it was almost four in the morning. He had school tomorrow; he needed to sleep and wake up in two to three hours. _Sleep, damn it, sleep!_ He tried counting sheep to make him feel drowsy. But no matter what he did, that scene kept repeating in his mind.

_Oh, god._ Tsuna inwardly cringed. Why did the prefect have to do that? No, he did not definitely enjoy it. That one act simply shocked him to the core. He did expect that they would be going out for a week, but he plainly thought it was more like them hanging out – just not inside the school. He shifted his pillow and buried his face. He closed his eyes, forcing himself to get a bit of shut-eye.

oOoOoOo

"Tsu-kun...Tsu-kun!"

Tsuna slowly opened his eyes, moaning at the sudden brightness in his vision. The heaviness of his eyes made him crave to close it again. Just as he was about to close them, frigid liquid was thrown unto him. The sudden coldness made him yelp in surprise. With his right hand, he wiped his face, grimacing at his drenched state. He looked at his mother, completely surprised. "Mom, why did you do that?"

Nana pouted, both hands holding a gray bucket. "Didn't you tell me to throw water on you to wake you up?"

"Mom, that was three days ago!" he groaned, his pajamas already stuck to his skin. The uncomfortable feeling forced him to stand up. Turning back, his eyes observed the wet sheets. Even his pillow wasn't salvaged. A sigh left his lips. Since he was already awake, he might as well prepare for school. _School...,_ he idly thought. "School!" the brunet shrieked. "What time is it?"

"Five minutes past eight," Nana replied, still pouting. "I kept trying to wake you up, but you refused to."

"Did Hibari-san come?" Tsuna panically shouted, hurrying to the bathroom for a quick shower. Nana merely watched her son in amusement when he came out of the bathroom in less than five minutes.

"He was here around half an hour ago," she replied. "But when I told him you were still sleeping, he suddenly left and I think he was mumbling something." Nana placed an index finger on her left cheek in wonder. "I only caught the word _bite_ though. Were you two going to eat somewhere before going to school?" She cocked her head.

_Mom, your son's going to be bitten to death,_ Tsuna inwardly cried. Swiftly, he pushed his mother out of the room, claiming he needed to get dressed fast. His mother simply smiled and nodded. Panicking, he hurried to put his uniform on. It took him almost ten minutes to finally finish, courtesy of his trembling fingers. With a glance at the clock, he prayed mentally that Hibari would find it in his heart to forgive him. After all, they were lovers for the week...weren't they?

Who was he kidding? Personal things and discipline were entirely separated.

"Sawada Tsunayoshi."

"I—I can explain..." Tsuna gulped upon seeing the silver rods the prefect held in each hand. So much for being forgiving. With another gulp, the brunet started slowly backing away from Hibari, afraid of falling victim to the unmerciful tonfas. Regardless, he did say he could explain. But in honesty, he could not. There would never be a day when Sawada Tsunayoshi would confess that he could not sleep because of such a simple thing like a kiss on the cheek...especially from Hibari Kyouya.

"No need to be so stingy," a new voice said. Tsuna felt an arm snake on his shoulders. To his uttermost shock, it was Reborn who intruded. Paralyzed at being powerless, he helplessly watched as the two most terrifying students in the entire school exchanged words.

"Reborn." How a single word could be filled with so much malevolence, Tsuna could never know.

"Can't you be a little nicer," Reborn said, sarcasm dripping in the last word, "to Dame-Tsuna? After all, he is your lover." The words only seemed to fuel the prefect's rage.

"This and that are different things." Hibari scowled.

Reborn tilted his head, a smirk gracing his lips. "Maybe. But you do owe me one, so I suggest you let him go for now," the newcomer said, his hold on the smaller one tightening. At the action, Tsuna blushed, becoming aware of the proximity of the senior and him. He struggled, attempting to loosen the other's grasp on him, which only led for the former to scale up his hold.

"Get out of my sight," Hibari seethed. "Now."

Tsuna flinched. Since they had started their forced relationship, Hibari never used a venomous tone on him. The practice was normal before all of the craziness had ensued, so whenever the prefect bit him to death, he had never felt any sort of inner wound nor held any grudge. But now, as much as he loathed admitting it, he felt a little hurt at his supposed-lover's words. He felt Reborn move closer, easily feeling the older boy's breath as he whispered, "Don't worry, Dame-Tsuna, that's simply his way of _agreeing_."

The start of Reborn walking snapped Tsuna out of his reverie. The presence of an arm around his shoulders was very much unwelcomed to the brunet. And Hibari was there. It felt so, _so _wrong. He gave a wry smile to the fedora-wearing boy and shrugged off his arm, which seemed to be stuck on him. Glancing up, he found an amused smile on the other. Irritated yet nervous, Tsuna said, "T—thank you for saving me, R—Reborn-senpai. But I don't think there's any need for t—this." He allowed his caramel orbs to rest on the man's arm.

"They say the best hiding place against a wolf is in another wolf's den," Reborn answered, a sly smile appearing on his face. The smile turned into a very amused grin when he suddenly said, "Duck."

In the spur of the moment, Reborn pushed Tsuna away from him as he jumped, landing a few meters away from their previous location. Confused, Tsuna looked at the scene and was surprised to notice that he was now resting in Hibari's arms. _What just happened? _He continued to look around, doubly surprised that Reborn had disappeared. Where did the man go? Filled with questions, he turned to Hibari to ask when his mind registered once more that the prefect was holding him.

Flushing, Tsuna hesitantly attempted to lift the arms off when the grip tightened. A small 'Eep!' was released from the brunet's lips. Worried and rather afraid, Tsuna glanced at Hibari, who by now was deadly glaring where Reborn used to be. He could easily hear the prefect muttering his catchphrase. Getting edgy, he interrupted, "Uh...Hibari-san?" Hibari stopped his mumbling and released his hold. The abrupt act made the brunet stagger, but nonetheless was able to regain his stance.

"I'll bring you to your classroom," Hibari scowled, looking straight at Tsuna.

Tsuna nodded vigorously, afraid of getting bitten to death. In his strange way of doing it, Reborn indeed had saved him. Though the exchange between the two was frightening. He gazed forward, seeing Hibari start to advance. He followed a few steps from behind, still scared at the thought of facing the other's wrath. Hibari, without a doubt, was irked. Tsuna would understand him being irritated at his tardiness, but somehow, Hibari's anger seemed to be of a higher level than the usual.

Perplexed, he wondered what made the prefect achieve this level of crossness. It was possible that he was just in a bad mood today, but Hibari was normal when he first arrived at school. Normal meaning angry and wanting to bite herbivores to death. That was until Reborn entered the picture. Reborn simply asked the prefect to let Tsuna off – which he actually was very grateful for – and acted very close with the brunet, swinging his arm around him and all.

Perhaps that was it. Maybe the prefect was jealous of another man touching him? Tsuna slapped his forehead. That was beyond impossible, and anyway, where the hell did he get that thought? The only plausible reason for this was that the two had an undying hatred for one another. But, he recalled, Reborn said that he created Vongola with Hibari, so that must mean they were friends. Tsuna snorted. Impossible.

"I will remind you this, Sawada Tsunayoshi." Tsuna looked up in bewilderment. "The fact that we are dating does not mean that you are exempted from rules and being disciplined. You are a student of Namimori before you are my lover. That fact will not change." Hibari gazed at him, eyes expressionless.

He gulped. "I—I understand, H—Hibari-san. T—this won't h—happen again."

Hibari didn't answer him. Instead, he left him alone in front of his classroom. Sighing, Tsuna entered the classroom and winced at the volume of the teacher's shouts at him. Next time, he would be more than glad for his mother to throw cold water on him as long as it was early.

oOoOoOo

Right now was officially Sawada Tsunayoshi's most awkward moment in his entire sixteen years of existence. He didn't know what to say, where to look, nor even sit still, so he kept playing with his fingers and decided to just keep his gaze at the floor.

When Hibari fetched him in his classroom, Tsuna was sure that he would be bitten to death for earlier. But he was proven wrong when the prefect acted normally as if nothing happened earlier. Now in the Reception Room, he and Hibari were sitting on the mustard-colored couch. Uncomfortable silence brimmed the air and Tsuna didn't have the guts to break it.

"You are not going to eat?" Hibari asked.

Tsuna was grateful that his lover – _no_ – the Disciplinary Committee's Chairman took the initiative. Although, he did forget that they were supposed to eat, and for that, he felt very stupid. "R—right," he stuttered, fumbling with the lunch boxes he brought. He handed one to the prefect and a set of chopsticks.

Fortunately this time, they ate in comfortable silence. Only the sound of chewing could be heard. Tsuna's mind flew to everywhere. It was wrong to start getting comfortable around Hibari, but he wouldn't deny that the time he had spent together with him was enjoyable. The time when he saved him from Suzuki, the amusement park, where they battled each other with rides the other despised, the movies, where Tsuna found out that talking with Hibari was nice, and then...the kiss.

Tsuna found his cheeks feeling hot. He felt so confused. Kisses were something that you do with the person you like. He didn't even like Hibari in that way. Yes, he certainly hated the teen at first for being Kyoko's target of affection, but overall, the short time with Hibari had somewhat made him move on from his feeling of dislike for him. But...how come a single kiss on the cheek could make him so flustered?

Perhaps because it was the first time someone had done that to him. Yes, he was sure that was the reason. It was impossible for Hibari to like him anyway. He was popular, good-looking, strong, and kind in his own way, while he was clumsy, stupid, weak, and easy to pick on.

Why was he even thinking if Hibari likes him?

Surprised at himself, he shook his head and erased his earlier thoughts. Hibari doesn't like him. That much was painfully obvious. Such irrational thoughts weren't even worth being thought upon. Anyway, he was getting way off course from his original purpose. Help Kyoko. Help Kyoko. Help Kyoko.

"Tsunayoshi."

Snapping away from his musings, the brunet's eyes looked widely at the prefect. "Y—yes?"

Hibari stared at him, his unreadable eyes making Tsuna restless. "Your mind doesn't appear to be with us today."

"S—sorry. I was just thinking of something," he answered, picking up a piece of meat from his lunch.

"Do you wish to speak about it?" Hibari asked. Tsuna almost spitted out the meat. Hibari Kyouya..._the _Hibari Kyouya asking him to share what he was thinking? Was he going to act as an advisor? Now that was a laugh.

"Uh...it's fine." Tsuna continued to eat, suppressing his laughter.

Hibari did not pursue the topic, but instead said, "I won't be able to walk home with you. I have some business to attend to." Tsuna wondered why Hibari's voice sounded irritated as he said business. He decided to shrug it off.

"Do you want me to wait for you?" Tsuna asked. The raven-haired teen had always walked him home. He figured he could at least return the favor by waiting for him.

"No. Go home immediately before it gets dark," Hibari replied.

Before it gets dark? What was he? His mother? Tsuna snorted. It kind of felt good to know that he was worried for him, then again, maybe it was something that he tells to all of his dates. "Yes, mom," he muttered.

"What was that?"

"...nothing."

oOoOoOo

With no clubs and no Hibari Kyouya to wait for, Tsuna decided to go home immediately. That was what he planned until his classmates shoved the cleaning duty on him. The sky was already turning orange when he finished. He reminded himself to get home 'before dark'. Thinking about it couldn't help but amuse him greatly. With a last look at the classroom, he closed the door and ambled for the school gate.

As he was passing the baseball field, he wasn't surprised that the baseball club was still practicing. If Tsuna remembered correctly, they had an upcoming game two weeks from now. What did surprise him, however, was a certain silveret sitting on the grass a few meters away from the field, watching.

Deciding to approach him, Tsuna ran over to him. He hadn't spoken with neither him nor Yamamoto today. "Hi, Gokudera-kun. Are you waiting for Yamamoto-kun?" he asked.

"What?" Gokudera turned scarlet. "Who said I was waiting for that idiot?"

_It's kind of obvious, isn't it? _He didn't dare voice his musing out loud. "Well...what are you doing here then? Are you interested in baseball?" He figured it wouldn't hurt to talk with Gokudera for a while, so he sat down beside him.

"Who would be interested in this stupid sport?" he scowled. "What are _you_ doing here anyway? Where's Hibari?"

"I just wanted to talk with you, I guess," Tsuna answered sheepishly. "Hibari-san told me he had something to do, so he won't be able to walk with me today." As he said that, he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. He had indeed gotten used to the prefect's presence.

"Miss him already?" Gokudera smirked.

"Of course n—not!" Tsuna waved his hands frantically. "It's just that it's been a while since I went home alone. Kyoko-chan always walks with me. But since Hibari-san...," he trailed off.

Gokudera rested his head on the grassy field and looked at the sky. "You're already in love with the bird freak, huh."

Tsuna burst into laughter. "No, no." He clutched his stomach and wiped away the tears that were on the edge of his eyes, a result from laughing too loud. "That's impossible. I would never fall in love with him. I have Kyoko-chan, remember?"

"Tch. Still in the denial stage, eh?" An amused tone dripped Gokudera's voice.

Tsuna furrowed his eyebrows. "Aren't you talking about yourself? You're in love with Yamamoto-kun," he accused.

At this, Gokudera sat up and glared at the brunet. "What the hell are you talking about? I'm not in love with that idiot!"

"And you tell me I'm in the denial stage." Tsuna scoffed. "It's alright to admit it, you know. You can trust me." He smiled at the silveret, remembering the time when the other had given him advice at TakeSushi.

"There's nothing to admit."

"Yes, there is."

"No, there's not."

"Yes, there is."

"No, there's not."

"Yes, there—"

"Alright already! I'm in love with him, happy?" Gokudera spat. "Now shut up and leave me alone. You're lucky we aren't allowed to interfere with the others' dates or else I would have beat you up already. And...," he grabbed Tsuna's collar, "if you tell this to anyone I would personally see to your death. Understand?"

_Eep! _Tsuna bobbed his head vehemently. "I—I promise!" With that, Gokudera released his grip and fixed his gaze on the baseball field once more. With their conversation finally heading somewhere, Tsuna asked, "Have you ever considered confessing?"

Gokudera whirled his head and faced him. "Are you crazy? Of course not. It's impossible that he feels the same anyway."

_I'm sure Yamamoto-kun feels the same, though. _Tsuna resolved to get the two together. "Why not? You never know unless you try!" He grinned, but was met with a scowl from Gokudera.

"You know how he always has this idiotic grin on his face?" Tsuna nodded. "Well...I'm not exactly like that, aren't I?" Gokudera said. "So I'm sure there's no way he'll return my feelings."

Tsuna blinked. Was Gokudera feeling insecure? Taking a risk, he whacked the back of the silveret's head, earning him a deadly glare. He noticed the other about to retort, so he said hurriedly, "Do you remember what you told me back at Yamamoto-kun's place? 'Every person has their own assets. You just need to find yours and you'll gain your confidence,' that's what you told me. Gokudera-kun, you are you. I'm sure Yamamoto-kun sees that."

Gokudera turned silent for a moment, most probably taking in what Tsuna had just said. "Heh. I never expected my own words to be used against me." He turned his emerald eyes on Tsuna. "Alright. If you confess then I'll confess too. How's that?"

"Eh? I can't. I would only ruin my frienship with Kyoko-chan!" he protested.

Gokudera raised an eyebrow. "Who said I was talking about Sasagawa? I meant Hibari, you moron."

"But I don't...to him..." Tsuna mumbled.

At the sight of the players finally finishing, Gokudera stood up and Tsuna followed. He glanced at the brunet, a smirk curving his lips. With the palm of this hand, he roughly hit the back of Tsuna's head, warranting a wince from the smaller teen. "Che. You're really a moron." Gokudera turned and walked towards the baseball field, leaving a very, very confused Tsuna .

"But I really don't...right?" he muttered into thin air.

* * *

**Note: **...Hibari just wasted a day. Just kidding. The _business _Hibari had will be featured on his side chapter. His chapter actually would explain a lot of things, and so does Reborn's. Thank you for reading!

**P.S. **If perhaps you have the time, please do read my new story entitled _Language of Flowers _ /s/9322245/1/ another AU 1827.


	11. With Hibari Kyouya and Reborn

Thank you,

**NFGdP, moongirljc, ben4kevin, xryuchan27, AniManGa19930, LOVEnHATEareboth4letterwords, p0l-anka, Basuke Vongola-Style, sadisticsoldier, DutchyPuppy, Aeternum Spe, silvermoon170, scarlet rose white, NaruSasuns, ForeverBlackSun, FallenxLinkin, pinkus-pyon, AnonymousAuthor13, IceCream9523.**

**Guest: **Wow. It's really flattering that you find it good despite not being fond of the ship. Thank you so much. c:

**Nel: **Yes! It is indeed Rivaille from SnK. I really love him. Although, all the characters are really lovable and unique. I also love Annie despite her being the- /brick'd. Sorry, I'm starting to babble. OTL Anyway, read to find out!

Also, thank you again for **xryuchan27 **and **sadisticsoldier **for noticing my mistakes in the last chapter.

* * *

**_Seven_**

Orithyea

* * *

**Extra 2: With Hibari Kyouya and Reborn**

Slender arms that promised strength rested on the metal railing, his back arching slightly forward in an attempt to gain a comfortable stance. The wind brushed off his black locks and his black gakuran danced along with the breeze. His patience was vastly diminishing already. If it wasn't _him _who asked to meet him, he wouldn't had have a second thought of biting him to death. Not that he had ever given anyone a second thought.

Immediately sensing a person's presence, Hibari whirled around, annoyed at the thought of someone making him wait. "You're late," he growled.

"Did you wait long, sweetheart?" the other cooed, making gestures of a flying kiss.

Hibari's hands itched to get his tonfas and bite this person to death, but he suppresed this urge, and instead scowled, "Just get on with it."

"Is that a way to treat a dear friend?" the newcomer asked, smirking.

"Since when did I acquire a _dear friend_?" he spat the last words. Hibari turned around and leaned again on the railing. "Such herbivorous things are foolish."

Reborn walked over beside the prefect – though a few feet still distanced them – and leaned against the metal. The green chameleon resting on his fedora slowly descended from its place and was now positioned on the railing. He casually stroked the reptile and said, "You've taken a liking to him, haven't you?" When Hibari's response was only a questioning look, he added, "Sawada Tsunayoshi."

Hibari raised an eyebrow. "What gave you that absurd idea?"

"Maybe the fact that you agreed to go out with him despite being of the same sex?" Reborn sarcastically replied. "Have you forgotten the reason we made Vongola was for you to—"

"I don't believe you called me out here to preach," the prefect intervened, getting irritated.

"Just saying." Reborn shrugged off his tone, apparently used to it. "Although, I'm not completely surprised. He is...let's say...unique. You don't see that kind of innocence and honesty around these days. A perfect match for you, who is so sweet and loving."

"I might as well leave if you're only going to spout nonsensical things." Hibari looked down, from his viewpoint, he had a perfect view of Namimori High's ground. He spotted a group of students who were smoking and desired to discipline them. Kusakabe, along with a few from the Disciplinary Committee, arrived and gave them a good beating. Satisfied, he drew his attention back to the other carnivore. "You're wasting my time, Reborn."

"Still as impatient as ever." Hibari watched as Reborn continued to stroke his pet, serving to vex him more. "Well, I can empathize, so I'll get directly to the point. You're intrigued at Sawada Tsunayoshi."

Hibari stayed silent, redirecting his gaze back to the ground. The baseball club appeared to be practicing. According to the school's calendar of activities, there was supposed to be a competition in the near future. Hibari didn't really care as long as they didn't break any rules. Finally, he answered, "Your previous answer doesn't quite satisfy my question. Vongola is supposed to accept any gender."

"Stop being such a smartass. I'm sure you're aware that you're an exception."

If the person talking to him wasn't Reborn, he'd long have bitten him to death. "Your ability to infuriate me is uncanny." Hibari scowled.

"So is your ability to amuse me." The other smirked.

"He is rather different, I suppose," he conceded. In fact, in his mind, Hibari was debating whether his lover was either foolish or brave. He decided on the former. Admittedly, he was slightly taken aback when the boy stopped him from beating the annoying pineapple herbivore. Normally, people would run away at the sight of him, which he was definitely pleased because it meant no crowding.

"Indeed, he is," Reborn agreed.

Silence reigned. Hibari was faintly surprised at seeing the small brunet just exiting the building. Grey eyes followed the petite teen as he walked over to the silver-haired herbivore. The sky was already orange. He didn't recall his lover informing him of any late activity. Annoyed at the thought of Tsuna not telling him anything, he unconsciously clenched his hands.

"So the prey's still here," Reborn noted. "Well, you're fortunate Gokudera's object of affection is Yamamoto."

"I couldn't care less about those herbivores." Gokudera was now grabbing the brunet's collar. Hibari reminded himself to punish the silveret the next time he sees him. Reason? The herbivore irked him, that's all. "Or Sawada Tsunayoshi," he added.

"Really now," the other said, his lips once more forming a smirk. "So I take it that it's alright for me to take him?"

"I never said that," Hibari coolly said. Sawada Tsunayoshi was _his _current prey. "I haven't forgotten what happened earlier," he growled, remembering the incident.

"So possessive already," Reborn said, amused. He raised his hand to his fedora, allowing the chameleon to return to its original place. He turned to leave after saying, "You still have two days left. I'll make my move then. Quite the predicament, though, we do always get what we want, but that's what makes it more exciting." With those words, he left the prefect.

All this time, Hibari never left his gaze on the brunet. Reborn was right. As much as Hibari loathed to admit it, that man was a carnivore, someone who he had acknowledged, and carnivores always get what they desire, no matter what, no matter who. And what the other carnivore had stated earlier was clearly a declaration of war. Yes, Hibari had accepted that Sawada Tsunayoshi was somewhat different, but he was still full of herbivorous qualities. Carnivores _craved _for strength, which the brunet clearly has not even an ounce of.

Hibari noticed that the two on the ground already stood up. The baseball club seemed to be finished with practicing. He observed as the two herbivores parted ways. Hibari looked up, noting that the sky was darkening already. He frowned at the sky.

_Didn't I tell him to go home before dark?_

* * *

**Note: **This chapter wasn't supposed to exist, to be honest. Hence, the shortness. But I thought it would be better to post it now instead of waiting for Hibari's part. Anyway, thank you so much for those who read the _Language of Flowers_.

**P.S. **Can you believe that in a span of one month I managed to update _Seven _seven times (ironic) and even have the guts to publish a new story? I'm like: Wow. Is this me? (lol)

**P.S.S. **Edit. Laughing because I spelled collar as scholar. It's 5:19 am already anyway.


	12. With Gokudera Hayato

Thank you so much,

**ben4kevin, moongirljc, NFGdP, ForeverBlackSun, Pineapple Fairy Queen, lenxann, Cyanical, silvermoon170, Antlersmoon18, Mad Decameter, Angel-Amy-22, LOVEnHATEareboth4letterswords, p0l-anka, xryuchan27, scarlet rose white, FallenxLinkin, Aeternum Spe, natsu0027, Kururo Saruko, MissDinosaur, SeCreT YaOi AdMIreR, HibariLene, Sylvia-san, Shinomiya, R3iga1004, Piplup99, Kumuro-san, **and **Rikka-tan.**

**Nel: **I almost dropped the SnK manga because of how ugly the titans looked like. ; A ; But, damn. Good thing I didn't. Thank you so much!

**xXnazaraXx: **Kyaaaaaah to you, too! Thank you. Hihi.

**Guest (1): **He's out stalking for butts. *u* It was just the last chapter that will contain such a short length. No worries!

**Fight-kin: **Thank you. I like you, too.

**Meeee:** Wah. It's fine. Just having your support is great already. But, really, I can't thank you enough.

**Random Guest: **Oh my god. I really laughed at your review. Don't bang your head again, you might get a concussion and forget all about this.

**Guest (2): **Thank you!

**catnip: **Whoa. That's really flattering! I admittedly have a poor vocabulary and have to often rely on the thesaurus and dictionary. Thank you!

**NOTE: **Notice the late update? I am thinking of discontinuing this fic due to real life clashes. I can't thank you all enough for the continuous love.

**EDIT: **A shout out to **sanadayuina**for noticing my mistake of using _aneki_ instead of _aneki! _Thank you so much!

* * *

_**Seven**_

Orithyea

* * *

**Extra 3: With Gokudera Hayato**

_Poor boy. He doesn't even know anything._

_You can't blame the master. He needed an heir—_

The boy ran as fast as he could, both palms covering each ear, mind filled with anxious thoughts. Cruel. A word so simple, yet perfectly described the people around him. Such an important truth was hidden from him. A tool, unwanted, unloved, alone, desolated. One thing he knew for sure was that no one but himself could be trusted. Men and women alike would betray you, throw you away like a piece of garbage, stomp on you like ants frolicking under your feet.

So he hardened his heart and ran away.

.

.

.

"Oi, old man," he growled, holding the pan while glaring at the man seated, reading a magazine. "I cooked the eggs so you better damn set-up the table."

"That's not a nice tone to direct to someone you're freeloading into," the man lazily said, flipping a page. Scowling, the silveret turned off the stove and took two plates, placing an egg each on it. From the rice cooker, he scooped out a cup for them, and irkly set it on the table. The man watched, amused at the teen's antics. "You know, Hayato. With you here, I can't bring home any girls now."

Gokudera, now seated, raised an eyebrow at the man. "And you're implying? That I should leave? Is that it?" he snarled. "You _know_ that you can't do shit in your house, and that I have to do all the cleaning and cooking."

Shamal grumbled, "You don't honestly believe I've lived my life with only buying take-outs or eating outside, do you? Of course I know how to do those, brat."

"Really now?" Gokudera smirked.

"What happened to that kid who used to admire me _so_ much? Even to the point of copying my hairstyle," the doctor cooed.

"Wha—" The teen flushed. "You bastard."

"How long has it been since you ran away? Seven years? You're fifteen now, I think."

"Almost sixteen years of shit."

Shamal looked him in the eye. "Hayato," he said, a serious tone dripping. "I'm moving back to Italy."

Gokudera's eyes widened. Instantly, he slammed his palms on the table, the plates quaking in the process, and seethed, "I'm not going back to that hellhole. I'm staying here in Japan. I don't give a fuck about those bastards. They could all rot for all I care."

The older of the two tilted his head. "When did I say you were coming with me?" _Oh._ "Right. I'm leaving and I don't care what you do after that. You're fifteen now, an incoming high school boy at that."

"Look, old man. Stop beating around the bush and just get to the point. Ask me to move out or some other shit," he said, lifting his glass to sip his juice. He might as well enjoy his last breakfast at this house. Job hunting and house hunting weren't exactly his cup of tea. Shamal gave him a monthly allowance and a place to stay, in exchange for him doing all the chores around the house.

"You're not moving out."

"Eh?"

"I am."

Gokudera blinked, head thrown into confusion.

"I'm such a great guy, aren't I? No wonder girls love me." The doctor waggled his eyebrows.

"No wonder girls love to dump you," he retorted.

"Maybe I should just kick you out." Seeing as the silveret didn't have any comeback, he continued, "I only have some conditions in exchange for my good deed, Hayato." Shamal rummaged through his pocket. Gokudera waited, as patient as he was, for him to continue. An expression of recognition lighted up the doctor's face then threw something white in the teen's direction. On instinct, he caught it, which was a piece of crumpled paper. Gingerly, he opened the sheet and was met with a bunch of numbers.

"Call your sister."

.

.

.

On the day that he found out about the truth, he had grown to loathe his half-sister. Why had he been the one to be the unwanted instead of her? Why had he been the one to be without a mother? They had killed her, crushed her, and sapped her out of her happiness. And now, all of the hatred and anger he had came crashing back to him. He hated his father. He hated his sister. He hated those maids and butlers who kept gossiping. He hated his life.

_It wasn't fair._

His grip on the telephone tightened, fist turning white at the force.

_No, concentrate._

Emerald eyes closed, and a heavy breath could be heard. Once again opening his eyes, Gokudera raised a trembling pale finger to punch in the numbers.

_The first ring._

Perhaps she wasn't at home?

_The second ring._

He'd just tell Shamal that no one answered.

_The third ring._

No, no. He was not a coward.

_The fourth ring._

He tensed.

"—llo? Hello? Is anyone there?"

Gokudera suddenly jumped, not realizing that he had spaced off. "Hello, aneki," was his soft reply.

"Hayato? Where are you? How are you? Why didn't you contact me? We were all so worried about you. _I_ was worried about you!"

_Somewhere you guys aren't. Fine, since I left the house. I hated you. Were they really? Fat chance._

"I'm in Japan," he responded, ignoring the rest of the questions.

No one spoke up for a while. Gokudera could literally feel the tension created by such a simple phone call. He waited for his sister to speak up once more. _They_ should be the one to contact him, to find him, to beg for his forgiveness. _They_ didn't deserve his love; _they_ weren't capable of giving it anyway.

"Why now?" she quietly asked.

Gokudera blinked. It was because Shamal ordered him to do so, else he's source of necessities would be gone. But he knew that it wasn't because of that. He could have just applied for the job in the convenience store that was hiring across the street, crash in the bench park, and use his meager savings for food. No, he wanted answers.

"Did you know?" he asked, voice hushed.

The hitch in the woman's breath showed her complete surprise. "About what?"

"I don't have time for your bullshit, aneki, or anyone's for that matter," Gokudera growled. "Who else knew? Did they feel proud that they managed to fuck up a kid's life? I won't even be surprised to know if they were talking shit behind me. And you," he stressed, teeth gritted, "you are a traitor."

"I believed it was for the best! And it was your mother's idea," Bianchi whispered.

Astonished, Gokudera's eyes widened. "That's impossible," he hissed_._

"You were being treated as a true heir, weren't you?" the woman retorted. "She knew that once everyone finds out who your true mother is, they won't treat you the same, and worse, they would probably mock you. She was thinking of _your_ future. She wanted to protect you...and so did I. Hayato," she added desperately, "I have always been on your side. Always. Please...please believe me."

He closed his eyes, the impact of her words and seven years of anger confusing him. Perhaps anger had blinded him too much from thinking clearly. A fool was how he was treated, but what's worse was how cowardly he acted. Running away? Heh. He should have faced them and released his colorful vocabulary and, if he also could, his violent tendencies.

Bianchi continued, "I won't apologize for keeping it from you, but I do apologize for any pain I caused and for failing to protect you." Gokudera opened his eyes, not saying anything. "...Hayato?"

"I know." _I just pretended you weren't._

"What?"

"That you were always on my side," he simply answered. "Che. Who was the idiot who often shoved shit she called food in my mouth? Who was the one who was able to find me no matter where I hid, and then forced me to go back to the mansion and get condemned to do something I didn't want to do?" _Yes, it was you. You consistently tried to get close to me, no matter how much I push you. _"Thank you," he whispered. "And I'm sorry." He swore he heard sniffling at the other end. Sharply, he asked, "Oi, are you crying?"

"You idiot! It's been seven years. Don't you know the guilt I felt all these years? I just...I can't...I don't...," she cried.

"I'll visit you sometime, okay? But not..._him_. I don't think I can take seeing him again."

"I'm happy with just that. Do you have a pen and paper?" When Gokudera said yes, she immediately dictated her home address and phone number. "Call me when you want to visit. You're welcome anytime," she happily said.

"Alright." He twirled the cord of the phone, unsure on how to proceed. "So...uh...thanks?"

"No, _thank you_, Hayato. You have no idea how much weight you lifted off from my shoulders."

Gokudera bit his lip, feeling emotional, although he managed to croak out, "Yeah. See you."

He hung up the voice, freely allowing his tears to cascade.

.

.

.

Gokudera didn't honestly want to attend school, making a choice to land himself in some job instead of wasting his life in the four walls of learning shit he wouldn't be able to use in life. But one of Shamal's conditions was for him to finish his education. It was for his sake, not the doctor's. The thought of the older man being considerate and sappy towards him was heartwarming. Not that he would ever admit that to him.

Being raised as an heir provided him with much access to different sources at home such as their vast expanse of books. Usually, when he wanted to escape from his father and the things he required him to do, he would often either play the piano or read books. He deemed it was more worthy than pretending to be a pompous know-it-all heir. At least in his own world, he didn't have to pretend who he was. Even at Shamal's, who didn't look the type at all, had a large collection of books in his study, which he allowed his charge to use, claiming that at least he'd get to use his brain which was practically dead, in which Gokudera simply scoffed.

When he entered Namimori High School—since it was the one nearest to Shamal's apartment—Gokudera was utterly bored out of his mind. The lessons, he already knew, to which he begrudgingly had to thank Shamal for.

And there he met the idiotic and dense Yamamoto Takeshi.

The boy was assigned to tour him around which really pissed him off since the boy appeared to be the type who'd pester you until you agreed to what he was saying. So he decided to go with it and finish it.

Yamamoto was unsurprisingly a chatterbox. Every room or hallway or staircase they'd go, he would manage to say something. Ranging from nonsensical things to even more nonsensical things. He simply grunted, kind of feeling sorry for all the saliva he must be losing.

Most students that passed by would often greet him. _Looks like this idiot is popular. _Gokudera just ignored them, not feeling the least bit obligated to be sociable. But it was the interaction with one student that pissed him off. It was obvious how disappointed Yamamoto was, the way his laugh and smile didn't reach his eyes, and the way his eyebrows were slightly furrowed in suppressed dismay. Why the hell was he pretending? He should just upright say what he wanted to say.

"That's disgusting," Gokudera said, not able to restrain his disgust anymore.

Yamamoto looked suprised at the sudden comment. "Him? It's fine. He said—"

"Not him, you."

"What? What did I do?" The way the taller boy tilted his head in confusion served to annoy him more.

Gokudera advanced slowly towards him until their faces were only mere inches away. He snarled, "The way you pretend and force yourself is pitifully revolting. If you had something to _say _to that guy, then you should have. _'It's fine.'_" he mimicked in a small voice. "That's bullshit."

Yamamoto stood, biting his lip. "You don't know anything," he finally hissed, much to Gokudera's surprise.

"Maybe. But at least I don't let others control me like a puppet," the other growled. _I'm not a doll for someone to dress up._

"I don't let them control me. I choose to do so."

Gokudera paused. "Why?"

"I'm happy this way," he mumbled.

"Oh? So you believe acting like a knight in shining armor pretending to sacrifice yourself would bring you happiness?" Gokudera asked fiercely. _How can you obtain happiness for yourself when you only think of sacrifice?_

"At least I think of others. You seem like you only care about yourself!" Yamamoto snapped.

"I do what I want when I want to." Gokudera's eyes flared.

"How narcissistic."

Gokudera grabbed his collar and shoved him against the wall, thankful that no one was around at this hallway. But the way Yamamoto was answering was really pissing him off. He _needed _his eyes to be pried open. So he will, even if he would have to be forced. "Who are you?" he asked.

Yamamoto winced at the impact. "Wha...what? Yamamoto Takeshi?"

"Who's Yamamoto Takeshi?"

"Me?"

"Who _is _Yamamoto Takeshi?" he repeated.

"I'm Yamamoto Takeshi, sixteen, a first year in Namimori High of class 1-C, a member of the baseball club."

"Where's Yamamoto Takeshi?"

"But I'm—"

"Where's Yamamoto Takeshi?"

"Here! In front of you!" Yamamoto shouted. "Look, I'm not that smart so I don't get what you're trying to—"

"Really? Because it seems to me that the person in front of me is a sad excuse of a trying hard idiotic hero," Gokudera sneered. He released his hold on the other and continued, "Now let me ask you this. Is Yamamoto Takeshi alive?"

"Y-yes...I'm alive," he answered, dazed. "I'm alive...," he repeated.

"Then prove it." The silveret turned his back. "Prove that Yamamoto Takeshi is there." He walked away.

When Gokudera wanted to be saved, no one was there. Everything he had learned to love disappeared that one day. His father, his biological mother and beloved teacher, Bianchi, and his innocence from this cruel reality. Everyone deserved to have a savior, a light.

So he will become one, in his own way.

.

.

.

Gokudera may be an obstinate and stubborn person, but one thing he couldn't deny was the blossoming feelings he had managed to gain for Yamamoto over the course of the year. He may normally be a person in denial, however, he had learned to move on from not facing his problems. In this situation, he knew better than to confess. From their senseless arguments to the other boy calming him down, it had indeed been a bumpy ride.

When Yamamoto asked him why he himself felt weird and felt that his heart was being squeezed after seeing someone, Gokudera knew that the feelings he had won't ever turned into a beautiful flower. It would plainly wilt immediately, without even a single chance of growing. "Sounds like you're in love. Well, at least that's what they show in those sappy soap operas." _Yes, be happy. You deserve it._

He noticed his friend's brown eyes widening and his mouth opening and closing. He idly wondered what was there to be so jolted at.

"Hayato, you like soap operas?" he asked loudly.

_The fuck? _"W—w—what? I never said I like those!" he yelled, a tint of pink appeared on his cheeks, not that he would deny being fond of those.

"Maa, it's fine liking those things. I still watch cartoons."

"Somehow, I'm not surprised," Gokudera muttered. "A—anyway, who's the person?" _Lucky bastard. Che. Or maybe an unlucky bastard. This guy is a hundred-percent an idiot._

"Eh? What person?"

Gokudera rolled his eyes, "The one you're in love with, baseball idiot."

"Oh, that." Yamamoto grinned. "It's nothing. I must have been mistaken."

The silveret knew he was lying, but decided to shrug it off. "You really are an idiot."

.

.

.

The two were on their way home when Yamamoto suddenly announced his joining of the Vongola. Truthfully, he was astonished to learn that piece of information. The baseball player struck him as the type who'd be forever loyal to his partner. But the Vongola? "Like I give a damn," he answered.

It was three days subsequent from Yamamoto's announcement that the infamous Reborn spoke to him. He opened his shoe locker and saw a piece of paper with only three lines on it: _I know how you feel. Come to the roof. I'll be waiting._

He dropped his bag in utter shock. He panicked, which he was ashamed of. Gokudera was pretty sure he hid his feelings well. Who could have noticed? Who could have been that observant and perceptive? Without even bothering to close his locker once more and picking his bag up, he ran to the roof, aware of how destroyed his dignity and composure were now.

And there he was, the culprit, a student wearing a fedora alongside with the standard school uniform, minus the blazer.

"Chaos," the other greeted.

"Reborn-san?" Gokudera respected this teen, for the reason that he saw him blatantly fighting a whole crowd of delinquents and even the notorious Hibari Kyouya without breaking a sweat. He was strong, unfearing, and just—admirable. Perhaps if he was that strong, his life would've...

"Looks like someone's scared," Reborn mocked, casually petting his green chameleon which scrambled from his shoulder and down to the back of his hand.

Gokudera gulped, not wanting to be obvious that he was intimidated. "W-why did you make me come here?"

"Considering the sweat you accumulated from running, I'm certain you know why." The other rolled his eyes.

Clenching his fist, Gokudera said, "Then what do you want from me?"

"Be a part of Vongola," was the simple reply.

"What's in it for me?"

"Aside from not spreading your secret, I'll prove that your feelings are reciprocated. Good deal, yes?"

"Bullshit," Gokudera spat.

"Do you really believe so? Or are you hanging on with little hope that it is indeed as I said?"

_Fuck. How does he know what the right thing to say is? _"And if you're wrong?"

Reborn smirked. "Why think of something that's impossible?"

* * *

**Note: **Just kidding. But really, thank you! And I apologize for the late update. I've been kind of busy nowadays. Expect the _Sixth_ _Day_ in (hopefully) two weeks time.

**P.S.: **I like my ships all angsty.


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